


Dragon’s Fire

by idontwantperfection



Series: Descendants AUs & such like [1]
Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: Assassination Attempt(s), BAMF Mal (Disney), F/M, Isle of the Lost (Disney) is a Terrible Place, Protective Mal (Disney), Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:20:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 47,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26026360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idontwantperfection/pseuds/idontwantperfection
Summary: Few things can incur the dragon’s fire.Ben didn’t send for the VKs at 16, but True Love always finds a way. And the paths we take can start a chain of events we could never imagine.Ben never expected he’d accidentally land on the Isle of the Lost at 22. Never thought he’d fall for the daughter of his father’s sworn enemy. Never thought someone would make an attempt on his father’s life.Mal was taught love was a weakness. But it doesn’t feel like weakness when she’s fighting to protect the man she loves. Maybe, for him, she could try on good for size.Chapter 21 is the epilogue, Chapter 22 onwards are bonus scenes.
Relationships: Adam/Belle (Disney), Ben/Mal (Disney: Descendants)
Series: Descendants AUs & such like [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1960822
Comments: 100
Kudos: 279





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I’ve finally got to the point where I can post this monster...
> 
> Ben didn’t send for the VKs when he was 16. Mal grew up her mother’s daughter, the Head Bitch of the Isle, even with Hades guidance. 
> 
> But fate works in mysterious ways. When Ben accidentally lands on the Isle after an argument with Audrey, of course the daughter of Maleficent opened his eyes to the world outside his royal bubble. But they didn’t realise that starting a relationship would trigger a series of events that would rock Auradon to it’s very core. 
> 
> HEA, no character death.

_ The Isle. 1 year before.  _

“You made your point.” Ben called, internally amused when she jumped and turned, clutching the spray paint to her chest. He’d caught her off guard. It would probably never happen again. 

The air between them was electric, as if someone had sparked a fuse and now the live wire was free. 

They stood there for a long moment, neither one willing to break the spell. They were on the precipice. Once they stepped off, there would be no going back. 

“Now it’s my turn to make a fucking point.”

And with that, he closed the distance, threading his fingers into her hair as he pulled her lips to his. 

...

_ Auradon. Present Day. _

“I’m worried about Ben.” Queen Belle fixed her husband with a look as Sherwood Forest sped by outside the tinted windows of their limo. “Maybe if you talk to him -”

“He’ll tell us when he’s ready.” King Adam reassured her, reaching over to squeeze her hand. They’d been having some variation of this conversation every few weeks for over a year. 

When Ben had broken up with Audrey, Belle had worried he was struggling under the weight of her campaign to win him back. Adam had maintained Ben would work through it, and let them know if he wasn’t.

When Ben had gone missing after an argument with Audrey and turned up on the Isle, Belle had worried that he had some kind of PTSD. Adam insisted it was the look of a man who was working out what he wanted. He didn’t mention he was pretty sure Ben’s angst was more to do with a girl than anything else. That it had been like looking into a mirror twenty six years before, when Belle had returned to the village.

When Ben started becoming evasive, hiding in his suite, or booking hotels for no apparent reason, Belle worried that his strange behaviour was definitely PTSD and she should never have let him talk her out of a therapist. Adam pointed out he was probably seeing someone and wanted to keep it away from Audrey. 

When Ben started an investigation into corruption within the Auradon Guard and the Isle supply chain, Belle couldn’t understand how he’d known to look for it. Adam assured her Ben knew what he was doing…and quietly enlisted Mulan to find out what his son was really up to.

And when Mulan told them Ben’s new girlfriend was Maleficent's daughter...Belle had almost fainted, and Adam sounded like he was trying to convince them both when he said he trusted Ben’s judgement.

“You saw him when we video called. They’re still not talking, and Leah is getting bolder.” Belle pressed, her tone laced with concern. Something had happened six weeks ago. Ben had booked a suite in the Citizen Hotel for a week, but had come back a few days early under a dark cloud. Since then, he’d been short tempered and irritable. He’d been rude to the staff. Constantly checking his phone, even when it didn’t ring. He’d run out of a Council meeting the one time his phone  _ did _ ring. That was a month ago. Belle didn’t think they’d talked since. “I just want him to be happy.”

“Have I told you recently that I love the fact you’re a fixer?” Adam laughed, bringing her hand to his lips as he kissed her knuckles. “Ben is too. But he needs to work out what kind of man, what kind of King, he wants to be on his own terms. And judging by how miserable he is, I’d say he’s getting there.”

Belle huffed, but didn’t pull her hand away. Instead, she lay her head on his shoulder and groaned, “I swear parenting a twenty-three year old is harder than parenting a teenager.”

Adam only laughed at her statement, the limo pulling to a stop outside Belle’s outreach centre. 

As Queen, Belle spearheaded initiatives for everything from education to supporting female led businesses. This centre would help children from underprivileged backgrounds get the education they deserved. 

Months in the planning, and today was the grand opening.

Belle exited the limo first, throwing a quick smile in Adam’s direction. Even after twenty five years, she wasn’t in love with the showman element of their role as High King and Queen. Inside, she was still the inventor’s daughter.

She loved her people. Loved her causes. But she’d be much more comfortable once they were inside the building and they could get down to the real business of the day. 

Adam stepped out into the sunlight, taking in the crowd in the square. He raised his hand in a wave, smiling warmly at his subjects. 

He always appreciated the support, the people who came out to see them. He made sure that he spent time on the red carpets and walkarounds. Giving people more than a few seconds of a glimpse. 

Adam saw the bullet before he registered the shot. 

One minute he was waving at the crowd, the next something whizzed past his wrist. He frowned, looking in the direction the wind had travelled. No one seemed to notice anything.

The next, he was being knocked onto his back as a white hot pain seared through his shoulder. He cracked his head off the cobbled pavement, making the world turn on its side. People were screaming, he could see the crowd moving - some pushing against the barriers trying to help him, most running in all directions.

He could hear Belle screaming his name, but she sounded far away. 

Reaching for his shoulder with his free hand, he was surprised when he saw blood.

...

_ The Isle. Twenty minutes before. _

“M, you  _ have  _ to see this for yourself.”

Mal looked up from where she was curled in the window seat of her bedroom. Dragon Hall was a masterpiece; dark stone, winding towers, hidden passages and stained glass windows that would make the Archbishop jealous. As a child, to Mal it was just home. As an adult, Mal wondered how her mother had managed to keep the family home when they were imprisoned on the Isle. 

She was moping. 

Not that she’d admit it. If anyone asked, she was plotting. 

Plotting all the ways that she could derail her boyfriend's diplomatic trip, but still plotting.

She could walk in looking like a demigod. Break Evie out via the Underworld, raid one of her cousin’s wardrobes and pretend she actually belonged in his world. 

Or she could smoke in looking wicked, sashay over and kiss him (claim him) like she meant it. In full view of his prissy pink ex and every camera, giving exactly zero fucks whether or not they saw.

“Kinda busy, E.” Mal sighed, swinging her legs around so she was facing Evie. She rolled her eyes, expecting the next words to be about how EQ and Jafar had gotten into it over a tub of peanut butter. The supply chain had improved in the last year, and Mal was still adjusting to this new, petty side of their parents. She thought she’d seen cruelty until she saw the mind games that ensued over desserts. “What are they arguing about now?”

Evie let out a shaky sigh, causing Mal to quirk her eyebrow in question. Now that she looked, she noticed the way Evie was leaning heavily against the door, as if she needed it for support. The way her cheeks were flushed and she was just a little breathless. 

This wasn’t their parents fighting over food, this was about a  _ boy _ .

But Mal couldn’t think of any man on the Isle who could elicit that response from her best friend.

“Prince Benjamin is in the drawing room.” Evie breathed, as if speaking too loudly would shatter the dream. She fixed Mal with a wide eyed look, a hint of envy lacing her tone, “Looking for  _ you _ .”

Mal was silent for a beat, replaying the words in her head to make sure she’d heard them right. 

Crown Prince Benjamin. 

Son of her mother’s sworn enemies. Son of the man who trapped them on the Isle. 

Prince Ben, her  _ boyfriend _ , who was  _ supposed  _ to be somewhere in the Far East for his friend’s first Swords and Shields World Championship. Meeting Emperors and negotiating trade deals. 

Being all princely and good.

“And my mother hasn’t slit his throat on sight?” Mal clarified, jumping to her feet and heading towards the door. She made a conscious effort to look merely curious, unaffected. It didn’t matter that she wanted to sprint down the spiral staircase and separate him from her mother. She had a front to uphold.

“They’re having some kind of weird staring contest.” Evie admitted with a shrug, trying to pull herself together before they returned to the drawing room, “Beast Junior is putting up a good fight.”

“We better get down there before one of them snaps.” Mal muttered, grabbing her leather jacket from the back of a chair. She didn’t want to spend too long thinking about what must be going on in Maleficent's mind right now. “Wait.” She stopped suddenly in the doorway, fixing Evie with a look that told her not to ask questions, “How do I look?”

Mal wasn’t vain. But she was human. Kind of. She hadn’t seen Ben for six weeks, and they’d argued before she came home. There was more to her plotting than pettiness when it came to looking great and staking her claim. When she thought about seeing him next, she’d planned on making an effort to look more like the girls in his world. 

Dressed up. Staking her claim against the princess she’d overheard in the hallway. To prove to herself she could do it when she had to.

Because if she could do it when she had to, maybe they had a future after all. 

Instead, she was wearing a ripped white T-shirt over a black tank top, and vibrant green and purple leggings. She looked...like herself. 

At least she knew Ben liked this version of her.

Evie just grinned knowingly, reaching out to fluff Mal’s hair. “Totally badass.”


	2. Chapter 2

_ The Isle. Ten minutes before.  _

Mal took a moment to survey the drawing room before she made her presence known. It was instinctive, stemming from years of survival. Of battling up the Isle’s food chain and proving her worth.

She may have started as her mother’s enforcer, but the current landscape of the Isle was all her doing. 

Ten years ago, the Isle was split into a number of territories. Maleficent controlled the largest portion, supported by the Evil Queen, Cruella and Jafar. Captain Hook controlled the docks, the second largest territory. But after that, the land was split into small patches and splinter groups. They weren’t stable. Didn’t last long. Lines were redrawn almost weekly. 

When Mal was fifteen, Maleficent had given her a task - gain control of the disputed land. Captain Hook had formally recruited Uma into his crew, and the area around Ursula’s Chip Shop had gone from Gaston’s control to Hook’s. 

If Hook could turn even a third of the volatile territory, he would control more of the island than Maleficent. And that was not acceptable.

So Mal got to work.

She made sure her mother controlled more than half the island, then started carving up the leftovers. She ignored the OVs (Original Villains) in favour of their offspring. She wasn’t the only child hoping to get out from their parents’ shadow. She handpicked four VK gangs to take over the segments she didn’t want, and then supported their hostile takeovers. She propped up their regimes, until they were established and could hold their own. She could have offered Uma part of the pie, but where was the fun in that. 

If she excluded the pirate, she was more likely to stage a land grab. And when she did, Mal was waiting. Which gave her the perfect opportunity to reinforce her position as head bitch on the Isle.

Since then, her life had been a series of negotiations, raids, stakeouts and general empire building. The one thing she’d learned as a leader was that she could gain more by watching and waiting, than acting rashly. 

So while she wanted to rush into the drawing room and get Ben as far away from her mother as possible. She didn’t. 

Maleficent was lounging on her throne, eyeing Ben as he inspected the bookcase. She was studying him carefully, critically, as if she knew she was being deceived but didn’t know how. EQ was lounging on one of the sofas, leering at the young prince. Mal could almost hear the  _ ‘if I was thirty years younger…’ _

Ben was doing everything she’d told him to do if he ever ended up on the Isle (again), looking like himself and without her. He’d ditched his crown and blazer - the things that marked him as royalty - and had untucked his shirt from his slacks. He projected an air of calm disinterest, as if this was an everyday occurrence. If he was nervous, he didn’t let it show. Villains could smell fear, and with her mother that was like baiting the waters. He took up the space he occupied unapologetically - there was no cowering, no shrinking, no apologising for being there. Unlike his bodyguard, who clearly wanted to be anywhere else.

In hindsight, that was probably why Maleficent was suspicious. The things that would ensure he didn’t draw attention in the marketplace, were out of character in the Mistress of Evil’s chamber. 

Mal and EQ were the only people who didn’t flinch in her mother’s presence. Why should the son of the king be any different?

Mal decided it was time to make her move, and stepped off the rafters. 

She landed with a soft thud, barely breaking her stride, as if she’d stepped off a staircase instead of dropping twelve feet. Ben turned towards the sound, and Mal cocked her head to the side playfully, “Well, well.”

She advanced on the future king slowly, like a lioness stalking her prey, studying him carefully as she went. He was a little more tanned than when she’d last seen him. His hair longer, the way she liked it. 

It had been a little over a year since he’d unceremoniously landed in her loft, since she’d begun routinely sneaking off the Isle. It amazed Mal how quickly he became ingrained in her life. 

The last six weeks had been hell. And that was saying something, considering where she grew up. 

Ben didn’t outwardly react to her presence, she noted to her relief. Suddenly, she wondered how much she could get away with. 

Her eyes glinting mischievously, she threw him a flirtatious smile and pulled out the bedroom eyes that she knew his inner Beast couldn’t resist. “Someone definitely took the wrong turn on the yellow brick road.”

“You’re hilarious.” Ben responded dryly, but she noticed the way his eyes darkened when he caught sight of her. She let her smile morph into a self satisfied grin when he subtly shifted his weight before speaking. Clasping his hands behind his back, he continued bluntly, “Let’s make this quick. There have been some issues with the Pirates that have been drawn to my attention. But Isle issues are your responsibility.”

“To save your lot from getting their hands dirty,” Mal scoffed with a roll of her eyes, continuing their game. As though she was unaffected. As though she was thinking of anything but the way he’d had her hair wrapped in his fist the last time she’d heard that tone. “You’re a little late. I’m already dealing with the Pirates.”

She knew he felt it too. The tension from holding back. From pretending. The fireworks that would inevitably follow. 

It was a miracle their intentions weren’t spelled out in the charged air between them.

Something flashed through his eyes at her disrespect, and Mal worried for a moment that she’d misread him. She didn’t know why he was surprised - she had never been his yes girl - but the look was gone before she could get a proper hold on it. Ben threw her a pointed look, before spinning on his heel and heading back towards the door. He called the command over his shoulder, “Walk with me.”

Mal rolled her eyes again and threw a look at her mother. She lifted her hands in faux exasperation, mimicking his words as she pulled a face in disgust, “ _ Walk with me. _ ” 

Maleficent grinned, buying the act, and inclined her head in Ben’s direction. Mal followed, ignoring the way Evie was wiggling her eyebrows a la Dr Fallicier. 

Mal hadn’t told Evie about Ben. But she knew Evie knew. She didn’t know how. But she knew. 

Eight months ago, Mal and Harry Hook had both gone awol the same weekend. Mal was in Auradon. She didn’t care where Harry was. Uma had been furious. She’d turned up at the loft, demanding Mal face her. Evie had defused the situation somehow, and Mal was clueless until she got back a few days later.

Harry had been vehement in his denial when he’d returned. Carlos and Jay didn’t believe it. It wouldn’t be the first time Mal had messed around with Harry to get under Uma’s skin. It also wouldn’t be the first time she let Uma think she’d been with Harry, even if she wasn’t.

But Evie had just looked at her from across the wooden table with a quirked eyebrow and a knowing smile. She didn’t mention Ben by name. Or Auradon. Or Mal’s increasingly frequent disappearing acts. She just smiled like she knew something was coming.

Mal caught up with Ben in the reception hall, and frowned when she realised he was heading towards the ornate wooden doors that separated Dragon Hall from the outside world. She’d expected him to head off into one of the other, more private rooms off the main hallway. Instead, he was heading outside. Into the open. 

Mal wasn’t too keen on that. 

It wasn’t like Ben hadn’t been on the Isle before. But he’d been with her. And camouflaged.

It was one thing to walk around the Isle in distressed blue leather and a beanie. This was another. 

The whole island would know he was here by now.

She followed Ben to the waiting limo, muttering a few insults for good measure when he held the door open for her. He sighed and rolled his eyes, finally slipping up as he groaned, “Just get in the car, M.” 

Mal flashed him a warning look, her eyes darting towards his four bodyguards standing around them. They didn’t pick up on the familiarity in his tone, but with the villains, they wouldn’t be so lucky. 

She ducked into the limo, settling on the plush seats facing the wall. She caught sight of Evie slipping out of Dragon Hall behind them, keeping watch. 

A moment later, Ben stepped in behind her, frowning when he saw where she sat. As soon as the door clicked shut, Mal dropped the pretence. 

The bored, bitchy exterior was gone. Instead, she fixed him with a look that only an irritated girlfriend could muster, “What the hell are you doing here Ben?”


	3. Chapter 3

_ The Isle. Present Day. _

“What the hell are you doing here Ben?”

“I needed to see you.” Ben reached over and clasped her hand, before gently tugging her towards him. She went willingly, but glanced at the tinted windows to make sure the bodyguards weren’t too close to the limo. 

She’d planned on sitting next to him, but Ben had other ideas. Instead of letting her drop into the seat next to him, he tugged on her hand again until she ended up straddling his lap. After six weeks without contact, Mal wasn’t complaining. She should have been more cautious, more aware of her surroundings, but that didn’t stop her from looping her arms loosely around his neck while his hands found her waist. 

It had been six weeks since they’d seen each other, and almost a month since they’d had any contact. The Isle had been unsettled recently, two rival gangs - the same ones Mal had helped to power almost ten years ago - had erupted into all out war. Uma and her pirates were attempting to take advantage. 

Mal was busy negotiating calm, and couldn’t afford to leave the Isle for any period of time. Ben had wanted to come to her, but she’d nixed the idea for his safety. 

She could be called on to act any time of day or night. The Isle was unstable. The last thing she needed was him in the loft if Uma decided to leverage the unrest to her advantage, or for Jay to find him in her bed when he came barrelling in with news. 

And then Ben had been on a diplomatic trip to the Far East for the last week. He should still be on that diplomatic trip, as far as she was aware. 

The distance was hard at the best of times. It had been harder when they were fighting.

She wanted nothing more than to drag him to the loft and make up for the weeks apart. But they were too visible. The Crown Prince was on the Isle, and his bodyguards wouldn’t let him stay a moment longer than he needed to. 

It didn’t matter that he’d been there a few dozen times over the last year. The Auradon Guard didn’t know that. 

Just like they didn’t know Mal wasn’t chained by the barrier. 

That she made it into the future King’s bedroom on a regular basis. 

Mal wasn’t entirely convinced that a guard wasn’t going to force the door open and join them, so she held back. Ben had no such qualms. He leant forward to capture her lips, and Mal felt the kiss in her toes.

A year ago, Mal would have told you that someone like Prince Ben would be too tame for her. But she fell for him anyway. And then she realised that poster boy for goodness thing? It was an  _ act _ .

Or maybe she just brought out the Beast in him. Either way, she didn’t care. 

Ben kissed her so hungrily, it was like he hadn’t seen her in years. The kiss was so fierce it left her breathless, diving back in for more. 

“I missed you,” Ben murmured against her lips when they finally broke apart, only pulling back far enough to rest his forehead against hers. 

He didn’t say I love you, which told Mal he remembered their last argument as clearly as she did. She didn’t think she’d miss it this much. 

She must have tensed in his arms, because suddenly Ben was gripping her tighter, as if he was afraid she’d run away. 

Again. 

A wave of guilt passed through her - an emotion she’d been totally unaware of until six weeks ago - but she pushed it down. She’d made her decision. She could stick to it. 

She just had to tell him. 

“Hey,” settling more comfortably in his lap - because she was always better with actions than words - she tilted her head to catch his eye. Drawing her hands closer so that they were resting on either side of his neck, she smiled apologetically, “Just because I can’t say it...that doesn’t mean I don’t.” 

She knew it wasn’t what he wanted to hear. But it was the best she could do right now. And this had to be better than what she’d shouted at him before disappearing in a puff of purple smoke.

_ When will you realise that I can’t love, Ben. I don’t know how! _

She shrugged, letting some of the sadness she’d felt over the last six weeks show. He wanted her to drop the mask. This was her trying, “Honestly, I’ve been pretty miserable. When you showed up I was moping in my window like I was living in some fairytale.”

“I’ve been pretty miserable too,” Ben admitted. “Doug made it clear that ‘whatever happened with this girl you won’t admit exists’ was my fault, and Lonnie sent me home to ‘fix whatever shit I broke’.”

“I think we both messed up.” Mal whispered, remembering the barbs they’d thrown at each other in anger.

_ What do I know, I’m just the bad girl infatuation. Your little rebellion before you settle down with your pre-planned wife. _

_ It’s not my fault your family is that dysfunctional you wouldn’t know a healthy relationship if your life depended on it. _

_ It must be torture when the guys get together and discus their latest conquests. Poor Ben, can’t brag about the way he had Maleficent’s daughter begging for it! _

_ That’s it Mal, play the villain, because it’s easier to revert to type than take a fucking chance. Maybe one day I’ll realise you’re not pretending when you bring out the Isle bitch. _

“We did. I pushed too hard, you dug in your heels. I went all Beast on you, and you went all Dragon on me.” From the way he was looking at her, Mal knew Ben had been beating himself up since she smoked out of his suite. Two weeks later, when she finally turned her cell back on and returned his calls, their conversation had been short, awkward and strained. She’d worried things were over. And then when she saw him on TV with his ex…

Well she nearly went full dragon.

“Is this guilt?” Mal whispered, searching his expression for any clue that this was more than Ben taking the weight of the world on his shoulders. 

“Only for taking six weeks to fix this.” Ben pulled her in for a rough hug, tucking her into his arms...like he knew she belonged there. And maybe...she was starting to believe it. “I kept expecting you to appear at the Championship and set me on fire.”

“I considered it,” Mal smiled into his shoulder, refusing to admit just how close she’d gotten to enlisting Evie to help her dress up and smoking her way into the Royal Box. “But the Isle needed me.”

Mal took a moment to imagine it. Evie would make sure she looked the part. A short Oriental style dress, purple of course, with blue and green flowers, delicate makeup, perfect hair pieces. 

She’d have walked in like she owned the place, like it was a bar on the Isle instead of the Royal Box. She hadn’t decided if she was going to stand at the bar ignoring him and flirting with his friends, just to see what he’d do (Chad Charming would have been a perfect target), or if she was going to storm in and claim what was hers, cameras be damned.

She didn’t know if it was fear of rejection, or fear of losing her place on the Isle that had stopped her. 

“It did. And Auradon needed me.” Ben agreed slowly, making sure he didn’t break her gaze and weighing his next words carefully, “But I think I need you more.”

“Well you ditched a diplomatic trip, I think that speaks volumes.” Mal whispered conspiringly with a wink, attempting to lighten the air. “I’m such a bad influence.”

“The trip was a disaster, I might have flaked regardless. You’re not as evil as you think you are.” Ben teased, lightly tickling under her ribs. 

Mal jumped at the unexpected contact, instinctively rolling her hips into him and grazing her nails along his neck. It was a far cry from the first time he’d tickled her and she’d floored him...and it was probably the exact reason she ended up on her back with Ben pinning her into the leather.

“You really do overestimate my self control.” Ben growled as his lips found the spot on her neck that  _ always _ made her moan. One arm was by her head, bracing himself above her, while the other was cupping her ass, drawing her closer.

“Sweetheart, I take your self control as a personal challenge,” Mal breathed, revelling in the familiar weight pressed against her. She already had his shirt undone, trailing her nails down his chest as she made for his belt. 

It had been a long six weeks.

“The  _ real _ challenge,” Ben nipped at her neck, laughing as her breathless moan proved his point, “is keeping you quiet.”

He slowly ran his thumb up and over her leggings between them, making sure to hit the sensitive spots. His grin was pure sin when she began writhing beneath him, trying to create more friction. 

“Oh just shut up and f-” Mal froze suddenly under his hands, reacting to something he couldn’t hear. 

He didn’t know if it was the fairy, the demigod, or the Isle in her, but almost all of Mal’s senses were heightened. He’d stopped finding it strange after a few months. But sometimes the timing sucked.

“Shit,” she hissed, pushing at his shoulders, panic clear in her eyes as she tried to sit up. “Ben, something’s just happened to your dad.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just one chapter today. Probably two tomorrow. The joy of posting a finished fic is I can post away to my hearts content!

_ The Isle. Present Day. _

“Ben, something’s just happened to your dad.”

“What?” Ben was confused. He’d heard Mal’s words. He understood them. He saw the way she was trying to wriggle out from under him and push him back into an upright position. But none of it made sense.

They were  _ supposed _ to be having make up sex in the back of the limo, mere feet from her mother’s house and his bodyguards for the added risk factor.

Mal frantically pushing him back onto his knees and snapping her fingers to fix their clothes was not where this was meant to be going. “Mal what are you talking about?”

“I don’t know. I just know something happened and he’s hurt. Princess of the Underworld thing.”

Ben knew that Mal had picked up certain quirks from her father's side of the family. She knew when he’d been served bad seafood in a restaurant and sent it back before the plate could even touch the table of their private room. She knew that an old maid at his local farmers market really needed to go see her doctor - and when she’d tried to brush it off Mal had insisted Ben send the royal physician to the market the next day anyway. 

Before either of them could react, Mal noticed movement towards the door and was back in the opposite seat before Ben registered she’d left. “Someone’s coming.” 

Ben was still staring blankly at the spot she’d occupied when the limo door was yanked open and Lancelot, his personal bodyguard, barreled in, pushing Ben further into the limo. 

“You, out.” He growled at Mal, his breathing heavy, eyes wide. He reached across Ben to open the door closest to Mal, ignoring her glare. “We’ve got a Code Black Beta. Eagle is down. We need to get you out of here.”

Ben’s stomach dropped and he reached for Mal instinctively. Ignoring the fact the door was open, and any villain could see into the limo, he grabbed her hand and pulled her back to his side.

She came willingly, understanding flashing across her face before her expression settled in a grim line. 

Months ago, Ben had briefed her on the call signs used by the Auradon Guard. One night, when he’d snuck her into the Palace, they were woken by an alert of a Code Purple in the West Wing. A reporter had broken into the castle. She thought she’d been spotted.

His was Blackbird. His mother was Bluebird. 

His father was Eagle.

Code Black Beta meant an active shooter.

…

“Ben, call your mom.” Mal instructed, reaching to close the open door. She caught sight of Jay returning to Dragon Hall as the other bodyguards ran for their vehicles, frowning when he saw her in the limo. 

She caught his eye and subtlety shook her head, instructing him to stand down. He frowned, but nodded and moved into a tactical position at the end of the square.

“What the hell are you- Out!” Lancelot looked between Ben and Mal, the panic stopping him from putting the pieces together. He was focused on his task - get Ben to safety and his father. So although he saw Ben’s hand gripping Mal’s waist, and the calming circles Mal was drawing on his thigh - he couldn’t put things into an order that made sense. 

“She stays.” Ben was shaking, and Mal tried her best to keep him grounded. She didn’t care about their audience, about looking weak, but if he tried to throw her out again she would fry him. The driver lowered the partition as he entered the limo, waiting for instruction. He eyed Mal warily, but thankfully jumped into action when Ben growled in his direction, “Drive.” 

“Sire, she’s-“ Lancelot tried again as they jerked forward, the limo speeding up far faster than it should have in such a crowded place. 

Not that the Guard cared - this was the Isle of the Lost, not Auradon. And their focus was the safety of the future King.

“The girl I’ve been ditching my detail to meet for the last year. So if you have a problem with my girlfriend, save it for someone who cares. Now get me a SitRep.” Ben snapped, his eyes glinting dangerously. 

Mal ignored the way Lancelot’s eyes widened at Ben’s words, instead reaching out to grab his vibrating hand. 

“Ben, call your mom,” she repeated, summoning her cell from its hiding place in her room. She stashed it all over the Isle, always keeping it close, camouflaged under a glamour. 

“There’s no reception on the Isle.” Lancelot pointed out, his eyes bugging out at the phone that had just materialised in her hand. He looked like he wanted to snatch it and throw it out the window, but somehow thought better of going hand to hand with her.

“It’ll work,” Mal threw a dismissive look in his direction, not bothering to point out that this was an Olympian model. Anything from Mount Olympus was immune to the effects of the barrier - godly trumped magical. Mal had bought it after Ben first left the Isle, not quite knowing what she was going to do with it but charging it to her Uncle Zeus’ account anyway.

There was a moment of silence as Ben dialled his mother’s number from memory, and Mal waiting for Lancelot to begin briefing Ben. When he didn’t, she snapped straight back into Isle Bitch, “He asked for a SitRep.”

The command resonated with the Guard at a base level. This wasn’t Mal the girlfriend or Mal the demigod. This was the Daughter of Maleficent. She spoke with an authority that was underpinned by power and fear.

When she gave orders they were followed. And god help you if you didn’t.

Sitting that bit straighter, as if he was faced with his Academy drill sergeant, Lancelot relented, “The King and Queen were the opening of Belle’s new outreach centre. There were three shots. Second shot hit the King. No one saw a shooter. He is en route to Duke now.”

Duke was Auradon’s leading hospital, but Mal hoped that they were not bypassing other hospitals in favour of it. Her ‘Princess of the Underworld’ feelings were telling her the King needed to get to the closest hospital, and fast. 

“We’re two hours from Duke!” Ben exploded, able to do the math that Mal couldn’t. Her knowledge was based on the few places she and Ben were able to visit inconspicuously and the things Ben mentioned in passing. 

When her father had taken her off the Isle, it was always to the Underworld or Mount Olympus. She’d even been to Greece a couple of times. Hades had no ties to Auradon, other than it should have been his daughter's birthplace.

“The Royal Helicopter is going to meet us at the other end of the bridge. We can get it down to forty minutes.” Lancelot assured Ben, glancing out the front of the limo as if he would be able to see the helicopter in the air from here. 

“Mom?” Ben’s call connected before anyone could say anything else. His relief at reaching his mother was short lived. Mal could hear Belle’s hysteria from her position at Ben’s side. 

Mal glanced to the front of the limo, estimating how long it would take them to reach the barrier at their current speed. 

It was one thing to avoid acting rashly. It was another to sit on her hands when she could act. Without taking her eyes off the road, she asked calmly, “Ben, is your mom in the ambulance with your dad?”

Ben just looked lost as he tried to make sense of his mother’s sobs. Lancelot waited a moment then reluctantly nodded. Setting her lips in a grim line, Mal made her choice.

They were still a few minutes from the barrier, even at this speed. And they’d need to slow to open it. Another car would wait around for it to close. But Ben couldn’t wait the forty minutes to see his father.

And if the tingling near the nape of her neck was correct, which it always was, King Adam didn’t have forty minutes either.

Sometimes being the daughter of Hades had it perks. 

She fixed Lancelot with a look and stated calmly, “Meet us at the hospital.”

She saw Lancelot’s shock, but she left him no time to react. The moment she grabbed Ben, she pulled them out of the limo.

Teleporting was easy, if you knew how. 

There was her father's method. She called it ‘smoking’. She’d disappear in a cloud of purple smoke in one place and reappear in a burst of green flame in another. Hades was blue on both entry and exit. All you had to do was focus on where you wanted to land. 

Then there was her mother’s. It was more like flying. It left a trail of purple smoke that announced her presence. Her intentions. Took longer. She didn’t use it very often.

One moment they were in the limo. Under the barrier. The next they were in the ambulance next to Queen Belle.

Ben’s mother screamed at the flash of green flame, frying her already frayed nerves. She dropped her cell and threw herself in front of the King as a human shield. The paramedic dropped the kit he was holding and went even paler. Mal almost felt sorry for him, he was most likely a day job medic who was only expecting to treat basic first aid issues resulting from crowd control problems. 

And then she took in the scene before her. 

Blood was everywhere. Belle’s yellow gown was stained from where she’d clearly tried to help her husband. King Adam was drifting in and out of consciousness, and he was a worrying shade of grey. His glasses were askew, broken in the rush to get him into the vehicle. He still had his suit and shirt on, and the pool of blood around his shoulder was spreading.

No one except Belle seemed to be doing anything to try and stop the bleeding. 

“Get out of my way.” Swearing under her breath, Mal rounded the end of the stretcher and pushed the medic out of her way. Belle whimpered, still shielding her husband with her body as she tried to press down on the bullet hole. Mal tried to rearrange her features into something like reassurance, “Let me help.”

Mal expected Belle to look her over. To take in the purple hair, the ripped T-shirt and vibrant leggings. To realise she was a villain and double down over her husband. Instead, she seemed to be searching Mal’s eyes. Whatever she was looking for, she found it before Ben had a chance to step in. Ben was reaching to put a hand on his mother’s shoulder - but Mal knew he hadn’t looked away from his father yet - when Belle nodded and pulled back. 

“Please,” she whispered, moving back to clutch Adam’s hand. 

Mal just nodded and reached for the dagger she had concealed at her hip. To her credit, Belle didn’t react when Mal moved the blade towards the King. Pulling the fabric away from the wound, she made quick work of removing any clothing that could get in her way. 

“I hope you aren’t too attached to this shirt,” Mal joked, knowing she needed to keep talking. Trying to anchor him in the world of the living. 

Carefully, Mal held the King in place while she moved the top of the stretcher back a notch. Enough to see that the bullet hadn’t exited the other side of the body. Moving him back onto the support, she reached down to find his pulse and started counting.

“Keep pressing down on the wound. The harder the better. Don’t worry about hurting him.” Mal instructed, putting Belle’s wrap back over the wound and placing the Queen’s hands over it with her free hand. She kept counting.

Field medicine was picked up by necessity on the Isle. Whether you were patching yourself up after a fight, helping the kids after a particularly nasty beating, or dealing with the aftermath of more serious attacks, you did what you needed to do.

Her father had gone one step further. He’d taught her how to use her powers for healing. The line between the living and the dead was a fine one. And there was plenty she could do to influence it.

The King’s pulse was weak and thready. The tingling in her neck was getting stronger.

“Look at me,” Reaching up, she grabbed the King’s face in both her hands, turning his head towards her. He groaned, and she took it as a good sign, “C’mon now, eyes on me.” 

She needed him to open his eyes. Just a flicker. Enough that she could see his pupils and catch his gaze. After another few moments of coaxing, his eyelids fluttered and Mal seized her opportunity.

Her mother only had one use for this power - pain. She’d catch your eye and, boom, there’s a vice around your throat. Mal knew she could do more than that. 

She heard Belle gasp when her eyes began to glow, but she didn’t pay it any attention. She pushed her way into Adam’s mind, searching for the area in the most pain. Once she found it, she shut it down. It wasn’t a permanent fix, but what she was about to do was going to hurt like a bitch.

“This is going to sting a little, but I promise I’m not trying to hurt you.”

Slowly, her hands moved to hover at either side of Belle’s. Still keeping eye contact, she began to murmur the incantations under her breath. She barely noticed the air turning blue as she moved her hands in semi circles over the shoulder. When she was ready, she pushed down on either side of the wound -  _ hard _ \- and looked down as the blue-white light flashed when the magic hit his skin. 

King Adam gasped and arched off the table when she broke eye contact, his pain receptors returning to normal operations, but her hands kept him in place. She focused on working the magic through his body, repairing everything as it went. After a few minutes, and she was sure she had everything, she moved Belle’s hands and the wrap away. 

Belle’s breath hitched when she felt something hard inside the fabric. Slowly, she turned the bloodied wrap over and made a noise somewhere between a sob and a laugh when she discovered the bullet.

Reaching out, she gingerly touched the healed skin. A few moments ago there had been a gaping wound. Now the skin had knitted back together. A slightly raised scar was in its place. 

“The spell speeds up the body's natural healing process,” Mal explained, reaching down to check his pulse again. It was still weak, but it was an improvement on a few minutes before. More importantly, the tingling had stopped. “It means it can’t wear off or be broken if something happens to the person who cast it. He’ll still need blood and time to recover. But he’ll be okay.”

She finally met Ben’s eyes. 

Her boyfriend was pale - almost as pale as her natural colouring. He was shaking, and at some point he’d started crying. The sight gutted Mal. 

Ben was the one thing in her life that was supposed to be untouchable. He was good and pure and deserved so much better than watching his father bleed out on a stretcher.

“I’ve got this,” she promised, holding his gaze until he nodded.

She wasn’t a princess. 

She was a dragon.

A warrior. 

She wasn’t just going to neutralise the threat. She was going to  _ annihilate _ it.


	5. Chapter 5

_ Auradon. 1 year before. _

Ben was ready to crawl into a broom cupboard and hide.

He didn’t care that it wasn’t behaviour fitting of the twenty-two year old Crown Prince of Auradon. He didn’t care if it made him look weak. 

His ex-girlfriend had a persistence that was downright frightening. 

She shouldn’t have been on the list for this event. His secretary was vetting everything, building in space to navigate the break up. 

He hadn’t been feeling things for a while. It felt like they were going through the motions. Doing what was expected of them. They’d been dating since they were fifteen. It had been seven years. When she started dropping hints about engagement rings and summer weddings, he couldn’t blame her for wanting to take the next step. But he knew he had to escape before he hurt her any more than he already was.

It did not go down well.

Six weeks later, she was still in denial about it. Still trying to convince him that he was wrong. 

Her Grandmother was demanding audiences with his mother. Her staff were leaking counter stories to the press in an effort to discredit the break up rumours.

Despite reworking his diary, upping security and using every social escape tactic he knew, Audrey was better. 

There must be some class he’d missed in Auradon Prep. Or maybe they only offered it to princesses. 

Audrey was a one woman power cell. She had revolutionised charity work in Auradon - she’d single handedly created a third sector in the employment market, focusing on non-profit work and championing causes that didn’t routinely make it to the top of the agenda. All while juggling a full social calendar and completing her undergrad at the University of Auradon.

Audrey could get herself invited to any party. Any event. Could get people to keep their mouths shut. Do her bidding. All without dropping her smile.

She was routinely recognised as the hardest working royal - from the member kingdoms and within the High Royal Family. 

That same determination that had made her so good at her job, that had been one of his favourite things about her, was now making his life a living hell.

So instead of a stress free night, mingling with diplomats and securing donations for tonight’s charity, he was ducking around the museum’s atrium like a wanted man. 

He’d had to run from a conversation because Audrey was coming his way. 

Then he’d spotted someone he just  _ had  _ to talk to when Audrey appeared at his side with two glasses of champagne.

And now he was wandering through the closed exhibits, in the dark, because he just needed some space to  _ breathe _ . 

He couldn't live like this. 

Maybe that was the point. Maybe she was hoping she could make his life that much of a living hell that he’d just give in for a peaceful life. 

“Hey Bennyboo.”

Ben jumped at the sudden voice, uttering a few profanities as he regained his bearings.

Audrey seemed to have appeared from nowhere, the diamonds on her pastel pink dress glittering in the moonlight. 

“Jesus. Audrey. What are you doing here?” Ben looked around quickly, trying to find an escape route. She had him cornered. They were in the villains area - he had Maleficent's exhibit behind him, Yzma’s potions cabinet to his left and the Huntsman’s dagger to his right.

“I saw you wander off,” she shrugged innocently, slowly advancing on him. He took a step back, wondering how the hell he would get out of this one, “Thought you might want to talk.”

“I was just getting some air.” He shrugged, trying to back away in a curve, to end up closer to the exit. 

It didn’t work. She cornered him against the potions cabinet. He held his hands up, keeping her at some kind of distance. “Audrey, this needs to stop.”

Suddenly, she dropped all pretence of casualness. Her expression morphed into a scowl, with nothing but scorn in her eyes. The air around them thickened, as if she’d flicked a switch and made it harder to breathe. “Why are you doing this Ben? Why are you pretending that we have a choice here?”

“We always had a choice,” Ben’s words sounded like a warning, but he couldn’t work out what he was warning against. 

“No we didn’t.” Audrey’s words were incredulous, as if she was shocked he could be so naive. “We were always the plan. You’ve been training to be King since you were fourteen, what do you think I was doing? I wasn’t helping your mom plan galas and host tea parties because I had nothing better to do!”

“You  _ like _ hosting tea parties and planning galas.” Ben pointed out, unsure of the point she was making. His preparation included extra history lessons and politics classes and shadowing his father in council meetings.

Audrey had offered to help his mother with her charity work. She attended all the events with her mother and grandmother anyway. And a lot of the princesses were on those committees.

Audrey just glared at him and hissed, “Because I was meant to be your queen!”

“Audrey,” Ben sighed, looking over her shoulder sadly. He really should have ended things before now. This was on him. “You deserve True Love.”

Audrey let out a hollow laugh, and fixed him with a look that he could only describe as...angry pity? “That’s the thing about locking up all the villains, Ben. No curses to break, no need for True Love. Why dream of something you can’t have? I was only ever aiming for happy.”

“You deserve better than tha-“ Ben started, but he was cut off by Audrey angrily pushing him backwards.

“I deserve my life back!”

...

Ben’s head was spinning. 

Audrey had pushed him and he’d toppled the potions cabinet.

There had been a flash of pink light. Lots and lots of dust. 

He was going to turn into a llama. Or a poodle. 

He was going to turn into a poodle and Audrey was going to carry him around in her handbag.

He was so screwed.

One minute, he was falling backwards, staring at the museum’s ceiling.

The next, he was somewhere else.

Between patches of dust, he could make out grey walls.

Mismatched furniture. 

And then a knife slammed into the wall, millimeters from his cheek.


	6. Chapter 6

_ The Isle. 1 year before. _

“Who are you?” 

It was taking Ben’s brain a moment to catch up with reality. The mushroom cloud created by the smashed potions was still affecting his vision. Through the patches of pink dust, he could make out a grey room, and a lot of purple. 

Purple hair, specifically. 

He glanced down - it was as much as he could do with a knife by his cheek and an arm across his throat - and yep, that was definitely purple hair. 

Purple hair which belonged to a woman about his age. With glowing green eyes and a glare that stopped him in his tracks.

“Who am I? More importantly, where the fuck am I?” Ben found his voice, and somehow managed to sound irritated rather than terrified. He had clearly lost his sense of self preservation. But he continued anyway, “And Jesus Christ, what’s with the dagger? Is that how you greet everyone who drops by for a visit?”

The girl studied him carefully for a long moment, still guarded. Ben couldn’t tell if she was about to yank the dagger out the wall and finish him off, or call the asylum and enquire about any escaped lunatics. Her eyes landed on his clothes - a royal blue shirt, opened at the neck, white trousers, dress shoes - and her brow furrowed. Then recognition flashed across her face, and the green glowing stopped. Her eyes were a softer shade of green now, with little gold flecks that he hadn’t expected. 

“Well, well.” She dropped her arm from his throat and stepped back, leaving the dagger where it was. Tilting her head, she laughed coldly, “Welcome to the Isle,  _ Prince _ Benjamin.”

Now that she’d stepped back, he got a better look at the girl. 

She wasn’t much taller than his friend Jane, Fairy Godmother’s daughter, but that was where the similarities to girls he knew ended. Her purple hair was the first thing he noticed - the short bangs and flowing curls - and it contrasted sharply with her pale skin. Not like she didn’t go out in the sunlight often, it was more like the woodland fairies and nymphs he’d met on his last trip to the Moors.

But it was her clothes that gave her away. 

There was only one place in Auradon that leather armour was the norm. And it was the last place the son of King Adam should want to be. 

“You’re Mal, daughter of Maleficent.” Ben kept his tone even, meeting her eyes. She was the one player on the Isle who managed to stay out of his monthly briefings. It was like she knew about the big brother spell, and stayed out of it’s way. He’d never seen her face, despite knowing her lieutenants and minions well. “And Hades, but that part isn’t common knowledge.”

Ben knew he’d scored a point in his favour when her expression froze. It only lasted a moment before she obviously decided he amused her, and let a smirk play across her features. It was a challenge, and for some reason, he was ready to accept it, “Yet the future King of Auradon knows all.”

“Little tip off from your Uncle Zeus.” Ben shrugged, casually looking around the room he’d landed in. He wasn’t stupid enough to try and escape, but if he could keep her talking, maybe he could find a connection with her. “I couldn’t understand why Hades remained on the Isle when he wasn't bound by the barrier. He stays because that’s where his daughter is.”

That little revelation had been a shock to Ben. They’d thought the barrier was impenetrable. Secure. Something that would outlast Fairy Godmother and his parents and remain in place as long as it was required. 

And then to discover that the daughter of Maleficent, the worst villain of them all, wasn’t bound...it should have bothered him more than it did. 

At the time, he’d reasoned that if something bad was going to happen, it already would have. He had to assume Mal knew she wasn’t trapped. Had to assume that Hades had contacted his daughter at some point to begin her training. 

It was a known fact that untrained magic was a powder keg. If you couldn’t control your emotions, if you had no way to channel the energy, it could be explosive. 

The barrier should have kept that all under control. 

But if god powers weren’t inherently good or evil, they just  _ were _ , then that was a powder keg Hades was responsible for. 

By the way her eyes had glowed, and the way she reigned it back in, Ben knew he’d been safe in that assumption.

“Nice setup. I thought villains' lairs were supposed to be dark dingy dungeons.” The words were out his mouth before he could filter them. 

He meant them, but whether or not that was a wise decision remained to be seen.

It looked like he was standing in some kind of loft space, the kind you would see above a warehouse. The room was well fortified - only a few small windows lined the join between the wall and the ceiling. But it was...homey. 

There were beat up sofas and armchairs, but they were accessorised with home made cushions and blankets. The walls were alive with colour, murals covered every surface. Mal’s gang tag - her mother’s silhouette with the words ‘long live evil’ - covered one wall. But he also spotted apples, portraits and a genie.

A large wooden table took up one corner of the room, and judging by the papers and maps spread across it, that was where Mal had been standing when he appeared.

“Sorry to disappoint.” Mal shrugged, still studying him carefully. “Aren’t you going to beg for your life? Cower in fear? Convince me not to hand you over to my mother?”

“If you were going to hand me over to your mother, I’d be bound, gagged and at her feet by now. Your reputation precedes you. You’re ruthless, and you’re smart.”

Mal had started her life of villainy early. They’d expected nothing less from Maleficent. 

There were documented instances of Mal wreaking havoc on the Isle from the moment she could walk. She’d maimed one of the Auradon Guard when she was eight. By fourteen, she was her mother’s most effective enforcer. 

At fifteen, she was spearheading a land grab, expanding her mother’s territory. She installed VK gangs loyal to her as marionettes in the territories she claimed. Supported hostile takeovers in the ones she didn’t take herself - not because she’d failed, but because she’d actively chosen to take the other route.

By eighteen, she was the most feared individual on the island. She had created a structure to the Isle. She commanded respect and instilled fear. 

By twenty-one, the Palace had acknowledged the girl was more powerful, more dangerous than her mother. Not because she was crazier, or had killed more people, or because she was a demigod. But because she was smart, and ruthless, and let her mother take the stage while she pulled the strings.

She was the dark to his light. 

She was his inverse - his Isle counterpart.

In time, she’d become Queen of the Isle. Just like he’d become King of Auradon.

Their paths should have stayed parallel.

“Flattery will get you nowhere,” Mal waved a finger at Ben, almost in chastisement. She turned, the chains at her hips swaying as she moved. Ben followed the movement, entranced. “But you’re right, Bennyboo. I’m not going to hand you over to my mother.” Audrey’s nickname sounded mocking coming from her. So why did he want to hear her say it again. 

“You’d die a slow, painful, public death. And then what’s left of you would be displayed at the harbour for the supply ships to see.” She didn’t sound opposed to that outcome. She said it as calmly as if she was discussing the weather. She shrugged, still stalking around the room. She’d grabbed an apple somewhere - maybe she conjured it, he didn’t know - and was tossing it from hand to hand as she spoke. “And then what? We break free? Break Auradon’s  _ spirit _ ?” 

Mal scoffed, rolling her eyes. Her voice was taking on that mocking tone again, but this time he was sure it wasn’t aimed at him. “No, then what happens is daddy dearest gives the order to flatten the Isle.”

His father wouldn’t do that. That was genocide. 

No one fancied being tried for war crimes.

He didn’t point that out.

Mal spun back to face Ben, pointing at him with the apple. Her eyes began to glow, her face lighting up with excitement. “ _ You  _ are my bargaining chip.”

Mal let out a cackle that made Ben’s hair stand on end. 

He felt drawn in, somehow. He should be running, he should be trying to get to the port. Instead, he wanted to stay. Find out more about this girl who intrigued him. 

Mal grabbed a cone from the wall and pulled it towards her. Ben recognised it as one of the pipe comms that was common in old castles. 

Then he remembered there was a technology block on the Isle.

Mal spoke without taking her glowing eyes off of Ben. They looked like a dragon’s eyes, he decided. “Jay, send a message to the Guard. I want a meeting. First light.”

Ben knew who ‘Jay’ was. Son of Jafar. 

Mal kept a close circle of power. She had minions, sure. But her inner sanctum was only open to Jay (“The Muscle”, according to his Palace file), Evie, daughter of the Evil Queen (“The Grifter”), and Carlos, son of Cruella DeVil (“The Brains”). And Mal was the Puppet Master. 

There were rumours Mal and Jay were together. And for some reason, Ben wanted to growl at that thought.

After a moment, Mal pushed the cone away, obviously happy with Jay’s response.

She looked at Ben for a long moment, and he wished he could read her as well as she could read him. 

The manic grin reappeared. She clasped her hands together and bounced on the balls of her feet. 

For some reason, this scared Ben more than anything else that he’d seen so far.

“But in the meantime...let’s show you the prison your daddy created.”


	7. Chapter 7

_ The Isle. Just after the shooting. _

Jay watched the limos and SUVs screech out of the square, as if they were being chased by the Mistress of Evil herself. When Mal didn’t emerge from one of the vehicles to give him a sign, he jogged across the empty space and up the stairs to Dragon Hall. Evie was standing there, her arms folded and her bottom lip caught between her teeth. 

She was worried. 

Mal might be their leader, but Evie was their mother figure. And Evie could worry like an Auradonian Mother Hen if given the chance.

Using his elbow to nudge her in the side, Jay broke her from her thoughts, laughing “You ready for Cruella duty?”

And just like that, Evie was back to normal. Rolling her eyes, she gave him a shove of her own. “Oh fuck off, Jay.” 

Of course Carlos had won their little bet. And now she and Jay had a week each of tending to his mother. It would be hell. Sighing, Evie glanced back after the Guard vehicles. They’d be approaching the barrier now. The bridge was heavily guarded. She hoped no one was stupid enough to attempt to make a break for it. “I really thought she’d cave first. Especially after that bar fight with Uma last week. We won, but damn, if I had someone to climb into bed with and kiss it better I really would have.”

Jay just laughed again. He wondered how Mal would react when she realised they knew. That he and Carlos had known for about six months, but Evie had probably known from the beginning.

Mal thought she was so subtle. That they hadn’t noticed her disappearing acts. Or the changes - the way she’d been genuinely happier, less likely to snap on people who irritated her, she was even fighting with her mother less. And that was before they factored in the ‘exiled Auradon banker’ who was only ever seen with her, and bore more than a passing resemblance to the future King.

Their parents were still clueless, too self absorbed to think that she could be doing something for herself. Their minions were too scared to question where she disappeared off to. But they were her family. They noticed. They cared. 

They had been getting ready to contact the Palace themselves if things had gone on much longer.

Whatever had happened six weeks ago, Mal had been heartbroken. Not that she’d let them know that, of course. But she’d been crankier. Meaner. More volatile and destructive than they’d ever seen her. Harry Hook had tried to flirt with her and she’d almost given him a need for his hook.

This war with the minor gangs had been a welcome distraction. Until Mal and Uma had ditched the swords mid battle and gotten into a catfight over Uma’s belief Mal was sleeping with Harry. 

Harry grabbing Uma around the middle and dragging her away while Jay  _ and _ Carlos restrained Mal had not been anyone’s finest hour.

“Instead she had to settle for you and your chemistry set like the rest of us.” Jay watched as the barrier opened in the distance. The urge to follow was great, but he had to trust that Mal knew what she was doing. That she wouldn’t just leave them here. He was briefly thankful that Evie’s healing creams worked so quickly. Things may have gone very differently if Mal had walked in to meet the Prince with a four day old bruise along her jaw and hand prints around her throat, “What do you think spooked them?” 

“Every Guard got a message at the same time, the one I assume is Prince Ben’s bodyguard got a call.” Evie responded instantly, of course she’d been watching. It had been like watching people scatter when Maleficent left her lair. That one pebble in the pond, and everyone was running. Evie had never seen Auradon Guards move so fast. “I feel like we need to go inside and turn on a news channel, but I have no idea how to spin this for the horned one.”

Before Jay could answer, maniacal laughter echoed from inside Dragon Hall. It made their blood run cold, and one of the sidekicks walking through the square dropped the pot he was carrying. 

Nothing good ever followed that sound. 

Nodding, they turned and headed back into the house. Once inside, Maleficent’s glee echoed off every surface, assaulting them before they were even close to the drawing room. Maleficent’s errand rat was cowering in a doorway. Jay jerked his head back towards the door, dismissing him with a look. 

The fewer potential victims the better.

“You screeched?” Jay drawled as they entered the room, before promptly stopping at the sight that met them. 

Maleficent was running around the room, throwing books off the shelves and pulling magical items out of the safe. She was darting around, spectre held aloft, head thrown back in laughter. 

It was terrifying. The old witch hadn’t been this active in years.

“Did Mal breach the barrier?” she asked, the excitement clear. 

“Yes.” Evie answered, her tone guarded. She kept her gaze trained somewhere over Maleficent’s shoulder. Close enough to appear interested but without giving the fairy the opportunity to make eye contact.

“Oh that’s my girl!” Maleficent cackled, although there was no pride in the words. “Not quite my level, I duped a king of course. But Benjamin is above Stefan in the pecking order now.”

Maleficent paused for a moment, turning her attention to Jay and Evie. She stared at them evenly for a moment, and Jay knew they wouldn’t dare to breathe until she looked away. Jay started running through next week's training schedule, anything to keep his face blank. “Evie, you are in charge until Mal returns. Ready the troops! Prepare to invade! Gird your loins people, our revenge begins today!”

Maleficent snapped her orders like a general, lifting her sceptre into the air as if victory was already assured. EQ crowed happily from the sofa, clapping giddily at something on the screen.

Jay tried to make sense of what was playing out on the television, but Evie turned on her heel and stalked out of the room. He had no choice but to follow her. 

Evie made a beeline for the War Room - a room off the main hallway where they kept their armour and a selection of weapons. Dragon Hall was the base of operations, the loft was their safe space. 

Reaching into the closet for her tunic and cape, Evie spoke as she prepared, “There was an assassination attempt on the King - that’s what my mom was watching. We have to assume the Prince has been taken into protective custody.”

Jay heard the words she wouldn’t say in Dragon Hall, where there were eyes and ears everywhere.  _ Mal is probably in defence mode. We won’t hear from her until he’s secured. _

“So what do we do?” Jay reached for his own armour, zipping the vest over his T-shirt. 

“Exactly as she told us to.” Evie took a deep breath, looking resolute as she pulled her gloves on. No one wanted the villains in power less than the VKs. Things were already bad enough without giving them  _ more _ power. “You find Carlos and start putting everyone on standby. I’m going to the mineshaft.”

_ “Hades?  _ Why?” Jay hissed, looking over his shoulder as if Maleficent would appear at the mere mention of her rival’s name. The bad blood between the two was well known, although no one quite knew the origin. Rumour had it they’d been involved before the Isle. 

Their gang had no affiliation or allegiance with Hades. Hades had no ties within the Isle at all. He just stomped around growling at people who got too close. 

“You think I want to go to war without the most powerful being in Auradon on my side?” Evie fixed Jay with a look that would make any other man wilt.

She said the words. They made sense. It was a valid argument. There was no trace of a lie in her expression. 

So why didn’t he believe her.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably tomorrow’s chapters because I’m working and we’re redecorating. Keeping two kids under the age of 3 1/2 occupied while my sisters boyfriend lays flooring and working is going to go horribly.

_ Auradon. Present Day. _

“Mal, Mal, just stop for a minute, okay?”

Ben reached for Mal as she flitted past him for the second time in as many minutes. 

Since her promise in the ambulance, she hadn’t stopped. 

She’d stuck her head into the front of the ambulance, demanding to know what the plans were for their arrival at the hospital. And then she had swore a lot while demanding the driver call the receiving doctor so “they could put some proper fucking protocols in place.”

Ben and his mother had pushed his father’s stretcher into the hospital and to an operating room under a purple energy field while Mal barked orders at everyone without shouting distance. 

Mal had done something with her Dragon Eyes, probably looking straight into the lead trauma surgeon’s soul, before she had lowered the forcefield and let the team near the King. She had recapped the steps she’d taken, then glared at the team and threatened to remove their spleens through their noses if anyone so much as  _ thought _ about harming him. 

Royal protocol stated that whenever a member of the family was in hospital - for everything from sprained ankles during Tourney practice to births and heart surgeries - they were housed in the middle of an emptied floor.

Mal had decided it was too risky to walk through the halls of the hospital to that point. And she didn’t want to leave his father alone.

Her solution? Summon  _ her  _ father to babysit the trauma team, while she teleported to the designated floor.

Which brought them to where they stood; his mother, pale and shaking on a sofa. He was barely holding it together. And Mal, flitting about the room muttering incantations at a rate of knots. Rearranging the furniture into a more defensible position. Flicking from news channel to news channel without explaining what she was searching for - or touching a remote.

Ben thought he wouldn’t be surprised after watching the waves of energy pulse from her hands every few seconds. Some were green, some were golden, others were pink. They had all flowed across the room before shimmering when they hit the walls. 

But then she started throwing furniture and medical equipment around just by pointing at it, and Ben felt like he’d seriously underestimated his girlfriend.

He’d seen more magic in the last hour than he had in the last year.

And she was so comfortable with it. 

He’d once told her that the Isle Bitch was just a character she played to survive. That he saw the real her. But this, her magic, she wore it like a second skin.

Could it really be just another of her masks?

“Mal, just...breathe.”

Ben ran his hands over the tops of her arms and shoulders, attempting to reassure himself as much as he was trying to calm her. 

Two hours ago they hadn’t spoken for a month. An hour ago they were making up. And now...now she was acting like a dragon protecting it’s hoard. 

His head was spinning. He needed to ground himself. He couldn’t be an effective leader if he couldn’t stop the room from spinning. 

He should probably be wondering when he started needing Mal to function properly - but if the last six weeks had proved it, today only reinforced it. He needed Mal by his side. And he was willing to do anything to make that happen. 

Mal came to him easily, as if his arm catching her mid stride was enough to set off some kind of homing beacon. She stepped into his space, arms winding around his waist in a death grip. 

It was the first time Ben could think of where Mal was  _ clinging  _ to him.

Ben was a hugger. Mal had learned to enjoy it. She’d even started initiating snuggles in the few months before their fight. But it was a work in progress, she was still working on lowering her defences. Letting him know she needed him too. 

So if she was unsettled enough to cling, maybe he wasn’t the only one who needed grounding.

“I can breathe once whoever is behind this power grab is burnt to a crisp.” Mal growled as Ben enveloped her in the safety of his arms. She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “You aren’t safe yet, Ben. Your dad was just the beginning.”

“We don’t know that.” Ben rested his chin on top of her head, feeling the world begin to come back into focus. 

Ben noticed the way his mother was watching them, a sad smile on her face. From the way she was gripping her arms, Ben knew she was missing her person too. 

“It’s the only thing that makes sense.” Mal pulled back enough that she could turn in his arms to include Belle in the conversation. 

Other than a few words of introduction in the ambulance, Ben hadn’t been able to introduce his mother to Mal properly. They hadn’t had a second to breathe. And it felt a bit flat doing it without his father there, or following the events of the afternoon with ‘so, this is my girlfriend and her mother is our sworn enemy’.

But Belle was too overwhelmed to react badly. And Mal had been too busy managing the hell out of the crisis to worry about being nervous in front of his parents.

Mal fixed the queen with an even look as she began to list the possible scenarios she’d been running through since she’d handed Adam off to the trauma team, urging his mother to trust her. If there was one thing Mal knew, it was the politics of disruption. She was the expert in the room, and she was on their side. 

She wanted to help. She  _ needed  _ to help.

“Deranged loner with a gun? You’d have caught him at the outreach centre. Lone wolf out for revenge? He wouldn’t have stopped shooting when the King went down. Terrorism? Not a problem in Auradon since you locked all the villains up. Other countries’ terror groups don’t really care about us that much. Besides, if it was, someone would have claimed responsibility by now. Coup? The military would have stormed the hospital. Which takes me back to my first thought. A legitimate power grab.”

That was the only scenario that made sense. Evil didn't exist in the way it had twenty five years ago. There was no magic, no curses. There were good people who did bad things, and bad people who did worse things. 

The most dangerous villain was one who thought he was on the path of the righteous. Who thought he was the hero. 

People like Judge Frollo.

“I don’t understand.” Belle came closer, still gripping her arms. Ben realised his mother was still wearing her blood soaked dress. They should probably do something about that. 

Before he could vocalise that thought, he felt Mal soften in his arms. 

“Here, let me fix that,” she said softly, stepping out of Ben’s grasp. She stepped in front of his mother, her moves careful, as if she was scared of startling her. “I’m not Evie, but this should be more comfortable.”

Holding two fingers together, she drew them in front of Belle in the shape of a folded ribbon. A yellow light followed her movements, then engulfed his mother’s body. As the light shimmered, and her dress was replaced with another from her wardrobe. The bloodied dress reappeared by the window, folded into a clear bag. 

Belle looked down in surprise, then looked back at Mal. Ben couldn’t read his mother’s expression, but when Belle pulled Mal into a hug any worries he had disappeared. 

Ben almost wanted to be standing on the other side of them so he could see the shock he knew would be on Mal’s face.

After a long moment, Belle pulled back with tears in her eyes. She reached up to cup Mal’s face, a move Ben remembered from when he was younger and in need of reassurance. Ben had never questioned the size of his mother’s heart, but now he was wondering why he’d worried about his parents’ reactions. 

“We’ve known about you for months,” Belle admitted, glancing between Ben and Mal. “We were just waiting on Ben telling us.”

Before either of them could respond - they thought they’d been so careful - Belle took a deep breath in an attempt to pull herself together. Dropping Mal’s face, she looked more like the Queen of Auradon than she had since Adam hit the pavement. “Mal is part of your life. That makes her part of this family. She gets a say in this.”

Belle looked at Mal expectantly, “What do we do?”

Mal looked back at Ben, shellshocked. Whatever they’d expected, this wasn’t it. Nodding encouragingly, Ben stepped forward and reached out to link his fingers with hers.

Taking a deep breath, Mal began outlining her logic. Ben knew she was choosing her words carefully. This wasn’t the Isle, she wouldn’t need to explain this to Evie, Jay or Carlos. They lived in that world. They’d just know.

He had a feeling Auradon had no idea what was about to hit it. 

“The best time to steal power is during a time of unrest or upheaval - mourning periods, changes of power, elections, natural disaster, crisis. Any time emotion is high, or loyalties might be low, where people are scared or angry, where the rulers aren’t established. That's the time you can most leverage the situation to your advantage.” Mal glanced back at Ben, her eyes telling him what she couldn’t. That she hadn’t been lying when she said the Isle had needed her the last few weeks. That the absence wasn’t entirely about them.

It was about their duty. The people who depended on them for calm. For stability.

Power was hard won, and easy lost. 

It was a constant work in progress.

“Depending on the type of power grab, they’ll either come for you next, or they’ll try to sweep in to support you and force you down a course of action.” Mal held Belle’s gaze for her next words, knowing she needed to clarify it before anyone else could suggest it. Ben would never question her, but if this went south, Ben wouldn’t be enough. That Mal knew this without his input proved she was a leader in her own right. “I realise I just described myself. But I wouldn’t be this sloppy.”

“Tell me what you’d do.” Ben tugged her back around so that she faced him, his face grim.

“Ben?” Mal questioned, not quite understanding what he was getting at. He could almost hear her thoughts. 

Did he really want her to stand there in front of his mother and detail all the ways she could think to kill him and steal his crown? That her point had been to make Belle realise the severity of the situation - as if watching her husband bleed out hadn’t been enough - not scare her into seeing enemies at every turn.

“If this was you...what would you do next?” He pressed, sounding less like her boyfriend and more like a Commander-in-Chief. His father had been preparing him to step into his shoes since he was a child. Ben was prepared to do it. He just hoped it was a temporary appointment. “What am I up against?”

“Well if it was me, I’d do a better job.” Mal eventually relented, letting go of Ben’s hand and resuming her pacing. She couldn’t meet his eye as she discussed his potential murder, sounding as uncomfortable as she looked as she rhymed off the steps, “It would be the Black Widow play. Off-grade draught of the living dead. Correct enough to still be colourless, odorless and tasteless. Off spec enough that it’s slow acting and would actually kill you. It’s Evie’s speciality.” 

Mal shrugged, and Ben didn’t want to ask what circumstances had led to that outcome. He’d read the files. He knew the body counts. Sometimes, the past was better left there.

“Slip it in the King’s wine, when he dies in his sleep that night, no one is surprised. He had a long life. A  _ good  _ life. Everyone mourns. You come to me, heartbroken. I console you. You tell me you don’t know how you’re going to do this. How you’ll fill his shoes. How can we sneak around now you’re King? I put up a bit of a fight, but reluctantly agree to be your queen. People are wary of me, but I’m a good queen. I push fair policies, get the kids off the Isle. Smile at the right people, host the right events. I get right down to the making babies business, because an heir and a spare reinforce my position.”

Mal stopped suddenly, the next words stuck in her throat. Closing her eyes, as if the mere thought pained her, she ground out. “And then you die in a tragic car accident. Bonus points if the kids and I are in the passenger seats. Our three year old would be too young to rule themselves, so the duty falls to me.”

Belle was white, and Mal looked a little sick. 

“But this isn’t me,” she eventually continued, breaking the heavy silence in the room. If Ben had ever forgotten about her roots, this was the only reminder he needed. He just had to make sure he didn’t lose her to it. The odds were good, last time they’d discussed his murder, she’d smirked.

“I think we need to watch for two things. A second attempt on the King, or an attempt on Ben. Something isn’t right here, Ben. Where’s the Guard? Your parents both have personal bodyguards, but neither one of them got in the ambulance.” 

And just like that, it was back to business. Back to the things she could influence and anticipate and  _ fight _ , “It’s been what, almost an hour since the attack? There isn’t a single member of the Auradon Guard in this building. Where are they? The press managed to get here within minutes of us. I don’t want you in public. And we watch for anyone who tries to push for control and take advantage of the situation. In the meantime, we look into who did this ourselves.”

“I’ll send Mulan for Evie and the boys.” Ben agreed, reaching for his cellphone. 

Mulan and Shang had left the Emperor’s Imperial Army when Mulan found out she was pregnant with Lonnie. They’d relocated to Auradon, taking up his father on his offer of setting up an elite unit separate from the Auradon Guard. They also had their own private security consulting firm. 

Lonnie and her two younger brothers worked for their parents, Lonnie in addition to her duties representing Auradon on the woman’s Swords & Shields Team. After Mal, Lonnie and her family were the first people he’d call to have his back.

Glancing at his phone for the first time since the attack, he was unsurprised to see it had blown up. 

Thirty six calls from Lonnie and a detailed text message explaining exactly what he needed to do.

A message from Mulan reminding him that they were there when he needed them and were thinking of his parents. 

One hundred and twenty four missed calls from Doug. At least half of them left voicemails.

A voicemail and a text from Audrey - ‘We’re flying home. Call me’.

Ninety three calls from Mrs Potts. A dozen texts from Lumiere. One hundred and fifty six from Cogsworth. 

A string of expletive laden messages from Lancelot, who seemed to be out of his mind with worry, caught his eye. 

It made Mal’s point about the Guard clearer. 

It had been an hour. And of the dozens of people who were paid to care about his safety, only one had been in contact. 

Ben was about to dial Mulan’s number, to dispatch her team to the Isle, when Doug’s name flashed up. A sudden need to talk to his best friend surged through his chest, and he answered on the first ring. 

Doug obviously hadn’t expected Ben to answer, because he was mid-argument with someone when the call connected. “-n’t care, I will blow up his goddamn phone until he- Ben!” 

There was something so comforting about Doug’s indignant anger - the way he cared so much he was furious - that all Ben could manage was a watery laugh. 

Things didn’t get much better when Doug promptly burst into tears, with Mal and Lonnie taking control of the call when Ben joined him.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. The flooring did not get laid today. My sister and I are self isolating as a precaution until someone we’ve both been in close contact with gets their test results. Fabulous. 
> 
> Keeping two kids indoors did not got well!
> 
> At least I’m positive the kids and I have already had it...

_ Mount Olympus. 18 years before. _

“Daddy, what if they don’t like me?” Mal stopped dead outside the double doors into the Great Hall, attaching herself to Hades leg. 

Hades' heart still skipped when she called him that. He’d worried she wouldn’t, that he’d been away too long. But after six years of her mother, a stable parental figure had been exactly what she’d needed. 

He’d thought Maleficent would snap long before she did. That he’d only need to wait a year or so. He’d underestimated her drive to punish him for what she saw as weakness. She’d lasted a little over six years...it was a good thing he knew his loopholes. 

Panic and Pain were Mal’s constant companions from the moment he’d walked out of Dragon Hall. They made sure she was fed, safe, and most importantly, knew never to tell mommy about her secret friends. Maleficent and EQ had a habit of leaving the babies with minions - leaving her unattended would breach their deal - so it was easy enough to cast a few sleeping spells or wipe a few memories. It was a small price to pay when it meant he got to hold her while she slept. 

He took care of Evie when she was there too, he wasn’t a monster. 

No, that was his ex wife.

Those nights had paid off, because he’s sure that’s why Mal was so comfortable with him now. She didn’t remember him. But she remembered the feeling.

He’d have never gotten her to Mount Olympus and into a ball gown so soon after reentering her life otherwise.

“Mallie, this isn’t the Isle. People can be...normal,” he soothed, crouching down to ruffle her hair. She looked like a different child now. 

Gone was the leather armour and ripped clothes. Instead, Hera had helped him get her ready. She’d done Mal’s hair into some fancy curled braid thing that kept her hair back from her face but tumbled in waves down her back. Then she’d pulled out a midnight blue ball gown, smooth as silk instead of those tulle and chiffon monstrosities Poseidon’s girls loved. The body was covered in little crystals and purple splashes - and Hades heart had broken a little at the way her eyes widened in wonder and then she shut her emotions down. 

She might need to do that in front of her mother. But she’d never need to do that in front of him. 

“I don’t know how to be normal,” she admitted in a whisper, her grip on his shoulders still ironclad. She’d gotten that from her mother.

“Neither do I,” he winked, knowing there was truth to those words. He wasn’t like his brothers. He didn’t have a dozen kids and wives. He hated court life. And he wasn’t like those fools in Auradon either. He was somewhere in the middle, revelling in the chaos. 

“Remember what we talked about,” he encouraged, knowing that pointing out that she could be nice would not land well. It had only been six months since Maleficent broke their deal - it was still early days, “If you aren’t sure, do the opposite of what your mom would do.”

Mal nodded, reaching up to touch the silver tiara in her hair. It wasn't some delicate piece of jewellery, it was bold and unapologetic. And if it looked like a dragon, well it was a good fit for its owner, “I get to keep this?”

Hades laughed, once again silently thanking his sister-in-law for her foresight. Mal might be a VK, but all the girls liked sparkles.

“In the mineshaft, yes.” 

Maleficent didn’t know Hades was in their daughter’s life now. She didn’t pay enough attention to notice that Mal disappeared for days on end. As long as Mal was there when called upon and completed her ‘evil training’, Maleficent left her to her own devices.

That would change as she got older. When she was expected to take on more responsibility. So he had to plant the seeds now and hope they took. 

“So,” he nudged her shoulder lightly, “Ready to go create some mischief?”

After a moment Mal nodded, and he stood, straightening his council robes as he went. He missed his leather. But tonight called for Olympian diplomacy. 

Six months ago, Maleficent had broken their deal. If Mal had been human, her mother would have killed her. But  _ his _ daughter was made of stronger stuff. 

As furious as Maleficent’s actions made him, this was his window. He could sweep in and begin moulding Mal into what she needed to become.

A warrior. 

A queen. 

A dragon.

They all had their roles to play. 

Her’s was to unite a fractured kingdom. 

And tonight, he thought as the doors opened and their entrance was announced, was the first step. 

_ Presenting...Hades, God of the Underworld, and his daughter Mal. _

He felt Mal’s grip on his hand tighten as she took in the eyes on them. But true to form, she kept her face blank, looking around the room slowly, as if she was bored. 

Hades nodded to the other Olympians, ignoring the curious glances being thrown at his daughter. There would be plenty of time to do the introductions...if she was up for it. If not...it wasn’t happening.

He had his sights set on the couple mingling with Hermes and Ares. 

King Adam and Queen Belle of Auradon. 

It was his duty to inform them that he was beginning Mal’s training. Well, it was his duty to tell them six months before. He’d get to it. Maybe. 

As he approached, he noticed the boy at their side. 

Prince Benjamin. Clinging to Belle’s hand the way Mal was to his, glancing curiously around the room. 

When Ben spotted Mal, the only other child his age, his face brightened and he waved in her direction. 

Hades frowned. He hated the boy already. 

...

_ The Isle. Present day.  _

“I hope she made him work for it.”

Hades didn’t bother looking up from his novel as Evie strode into the mineshaft.

Mal knew her father knew about Ben. And she knew Evie knew about Ben. What she didn’t know was that her father was the  _ reason _ Evie knew. 

When Mal had been spotted with an unknown face around the island, Evie had been worried. The barrier hadn’t been opened to put someone in since the creation of the Isle. When Mal locked them out of the loft, and fed her some bullshit line about an exiled Auradonian banker she was pressing for information, Evie went straight to the top.

If Hades didn’t know what was going on, Panic and Pain would find out. Evie felt a little guilty at going around her best friend - but she couldn’t protect her if she didn’t know what the play was. And if she specifically didn’t want Hades to know, Mal would have said something.

Hades hadn’t known. He’d thrown a hissy fit Maleficent would have been proud of, set Pain on fire and left burn marks on the ceiling. Evie had barely blinked. She was used to his temper after almost twenty years. 

She couldn’t work out if Hades approved of Ben or not. He hadn’t confronted Mal in the way he had when she was messing around with Harry Hook when they were teenagers. But he made more offhand comments about murder and stealing souls and shallow graves than he ever did.

Hades hadn’t told Evie what had gone down six weeks ago, other than angrily muttering about ways he could make his life hell. But Evie had seen the mess Mal had been when she’d come back from Auradon, and stealing the spoons from Beast Castle was probably deserved. 

She knew it had to be something more than a disagreement. She originally thought Ben had proposed - because completely overreacting and breaking up with him would have been a reaction she expected from Mal. But when Ben didn’t immediately turn up in an attempt to win her back, Evie wasn’t so sure. Then they saw him on TV with his ex - Mal put up exactly zero fight when her mother had suggested watching the coverage of the Swords and Shields World Championship. In fact, Evie would bet Mal put the idea in EQ’s head. 

Mal had hid her pain expertly - but Evie and the boys knew the absence of emotion was an admission of it. Masking their emotions was a survival skill they’d learned before they could walk. If she had looked bored or uninterested, they wouldn’t have noticed. But she just sat there, staring blankly at the screen. They could almost hear the shutters coming down. 

Things had only got worse after that. The fight with Uma proved it. Normally Mal would bait Uma until she bit. But this time Mal snapped the moment Uma pulled out the word ‘princess’.

But Evie wasn’t here about Ben. She was here for answers. Stopping at the edge of the sofa, Evie folded her arms and tapped her foot impatiently, waiting for Hades to look at her. 

When he did, Evie simply raised her hand, gesturing at her leather and grimaced, her exasperation clear.

“Why are you wearing armour?” He asked slowly, gazing at her evenly as he closed his book. “Don’t tell me she let her mother take him hostage. Saving princes who hurt my daughter is not on today’s to do list.”

“No.” Evie scoffed as she shook her head and rolled her eyes, fixing Hades with a glare. “You’re trying to tell me you  _ don’t _ know Maleficent is preparing the troops to leverage the attempted assassination of King Beast?”

Hades was on his feet in an instant, heading to a large basin in the corner. Waving his hands over it quickly, the room turned blue as figures rose from the silver liquid.

Evie followed him, watching as King Adam hit the ground, as Mal pushed Ben off her and Ben’s bodyguard rushed into the limo. 

“He was about twenty minutes from death. And then it stopped. I assumed he’d made a choice and missed a four car pile up on the highway. Happens all the time.” Hades murmured, watching as the scene continued to shift, now showing Mal performing a healing spell on the King. “And don’t think I didn’t notice them getting handsy in the limo. I did and I am ignoring it.”

“That’s great, but I have a slightly more pressing issue. One with horns and an anger management problem.” Evie continued to tap her foot as she watched the scene play out, Belle pulling asilk wrap away to reveal a bullet. 

She was happy Mal had patched things up with Ben. She didn’t feel any particular feelings about the King’s brush with death - things like that happened every day on the Isle. What she cared about was how many VKs would get hurt if Maleficent decided Mal was ‘taking too long with her plan’ (the plan that Evie knew did not and would not exist) and decided to stage a rebellion. 

The old bat was insane. She would try anything that came into her head. And without Mal to actively manage her mother, Evie was on the hook for protecting the kids.

Before Hades could answer, he stiffened suddenly. Turning to Evie, he set his mouth in a grim line. “Mal is requesting my presence in Auradon. Hold down the fort until we get back. You know how to handle Maleficent. Stroke her ego and make her think it’s all her idea.”

He stopped to plant a kiss to her hair as he passed her, the affection coming easily. Evie wasn’t his daughter, but she was his daughter’s best friend and that made her his problem. “If you haven't heard from me in twenty four hours, pull out the Valerian tea.”

“Don’t kill him,” Evie turned and called after him, folding her arms with a smile.

Hades turned and held his arms out to the side, laughing as he walked backwards into the flames, “No promises.”

Evie laughed as Hades disappeared, glancing around the mineshaft. She could tell he was living here again. As they’d gotten older, he’d started spending more time in the Underworld. But since Mal’s fight with Ben, she was pretty sure he hadn’t left the Isle.

Parents who cared for their kids...it was still such an alien concept.

Shaking her head, Evie headed to the record player and started up the recording of Cerberus. She had a feeling he wouldn’t be back for a while, and she did not want Ceilia thinking he was getting complacent.


	10. Chapter 10

_Auradon. Present Day._

It was almost two hours before the Guard finally turned up. 

King Adam was back from being checked over, and Ben would openly admit that he almost died off when the blue flames erupted in the middle of the room, revealing Hades, his father’s hospital bed and the lead trauma specialist.

His father’s doctor, looking utterly terrified under Hades glare, reported that Mal’s spell had repaired all of the damage from the bullet. He’d needed a transfusion to combat the blood loss, and they were starting a course of antibiotics and keeping him sedated as a precaution. 

His mother hadn’t moved from his father's side since, and Mal and Hades had moved off to a corner to give the family some sense of privacy.

Ben could hear the odd word here and there - about Mal’s theory, and her mother, and Evie. However he was painfully aware of the way Hades kept glaring at him over Mal’s head. At least twice Ben caught Mal prodding her father in his chest, hissing ‘ _leave him alone’,_ and pulling his attention back to their conversation. 

When they heard a crash outside the doorway, Mal was in front of Ben in a heartbeat.

Whoever had tried to enter had thrown the door open and crashed straight into Mal’s wards. Something unspoken passed between father and daughter, and Hades headed to investigate. 

There was a lot of swearing, then Javier, the Head of the Auradon Guard, appeared in the doorway. “What in Zeus’ name is this?”

Then he spotted Hades mere feet away and paled.

Ben glanced at Mal, sharing a look, before she drew two fingers through the air and opened her barrier. Javier barged in like an angry bull, giving Hades a wide berth, a frantic Lancelot at his heels, before skidding to a stop when he recognised Mal curled around Ben. 

“ _You_ ,” he growled.

Mal simply smirked and tossed him a casual finger wave, “Miss me?”

Mal had been a thorn in Javier’s side for as long as she could remember. The Head of the Guard was corrupt, ambitious and vain. Mal had told Ben how she could see the similarities with Judge Frollo and Governor Ratcliffe. The difference was, Javier had fallen on the right side of history. 

“Your majesty, maybe it’s time for a trip to the Enchanted Lake.” Javier looked carefully between the two royals and Mal, resolutely ignoring Hades, trying to judge the feeling in the room. 

Lancelot must have filled him in on what had happened on the Isle. What Ben had said. Javier obviously hadn’t believed it. He certainly didn’t understand Hades' presence. 

Lancelot looked like he had had his entire belief system turned upside down and was just winging it. Ben could see his relief at seeing Ben unharmed, and maybe, he knew of at least one member of the Guard he could trust. 

“I’m not spelled, Javier.” Ben sighed, effectively closing down the debate. He didn’t have time for this argument. He needed to get the balls rolling. 

He needed to lead. 

“You can’t honestly believe she didn’t have anything to do with this!” Javier exploded, pointing at Mal, so furious he was almost foaming at the mouth.

Mal growled as she lunged at Javier, but Ben caught her around the waist. It wasn’t the first time he’d had to intercept her instinctive reactions - it happened a lot during the beginning, when she was relearning the Isle behaviours of ‘stab first, ask questions later’. 

But it was the first time she’d reacted like this. So rashly. 

For the first time, Ben realised just how on edge Mal was. 

Her skin was vibrating. She was becoming hazy around the edges, as if she was about to transform into...something. Her eyes had snapped back to the green glow - and her hair had caught fire. 

That was new. 

Deep purple flames curled through her locks, fanning towards him as if they recognised him. 

Hades was carefully watching the whole scene unfold. Ben could tell he did not approve of the way Javier was speaking to Mal...but it was almost like he was waiting to see how they dealt with it.

“Mal didn’t have anything to do with this.” Ben stated evenly, glaring at his Head Guard. There were questions that needed to be answered. And until his father had recovered, the responsibility to resolve this lay with him, “Now if you’re done insulting my girlfriend, we need to focus on what matters here.”

“The Guard has it under control. There’s no need for you to bother yourself with the investigation.” Javier waved a hand dismissively, earning himself a sideways glance from Lancelot. Ben noted the movement, and decided to address that later. “We need to get you out there with a press conference to calm - ”

“Not happening.” Mal growled, her eyes still glowing. She shifted her weight so that she was blocking Javier’s access to Ben. Some people would question what protection her slight frame could provide the prince. Some people didn’t know her.

“Isle whores don’t have any standing in Auradon.” Javier spat in her direction, his position on the matter clear. 

Belle gasped at the insult. Hades’ hair turned red. 

Ben didn’t even try to hold her back this time. 

In a single movement, Mal had Javier against the wall with her dagger at his throat. Her hair was levitating around her, the flames creating some kind of twisted halo. She didn’t look like a guardian angel. She looked like a nightmare straight from the bowels of the Underworld. Hades clearly approved. “If you weren’t so fucking incompetent, this Isle whore wouldn’t have to clean up your mess. Again.”

Javier’s eyes went wide at her final barb, darting between Mal and Ben, then Mal and Hades. 

Ben knew the moment Javier put it all together. Mal’s parentage was not widely known - a few senior royals who engaged with Olympus, if that - but Hades’ immunity to the barrier was common knowledge in the upper layers of the Auradon establishment. But now, with them both in the same room, with their hair aflame...the link was obvious. 

And then Javier realised that Mal may be doing more than spelling Ben. That maybe she hadn’t held him prisoner in her loft when he landed on the Isle. That he could have seen the true conditions there - if not then, at some point in the last year. That she’d probably told Ben some of the stories he’d hoped he could cover up. 

Like why she’d really maimed that Guard when she was eight. 

“Call her off!” Javier tried to sound angry, but Mal’s pressure on his windpipe ensured all that came out was a panicked gasp. 

“I feel like that was justified.” Ben frowned, his eyes glinting with the Beast. His tone left no room for argument, mimicking the way he’d heard Mal give instructions to her minions. Acting as if he was confident enough in his authority that he expected his orders to be followed without question, “Mal will be taking over the investigation into the shooting along with Mulan’s team. Given today’s failings, we need to outsource.”

“But-” Javier gasped, trying to fight Mal’s grip. It did not go well. 

“Maybe I didn’t make myself clear.” Mal smiled, dangerously, the picture of innocence.

Ben knew exactly what she was going to do a moment before she did it. 

A show of power. 

Reinforcing her position as Head Bitch.

Ruling through fear.

Mal disappeared in a puff of purple smoke. Belle gasped, her hand going to her mouth. Javier managed to stay on his feet when Mal dropped him, but he couldn’t cover the fear as he looked around the room. 

It was one thing to face her under the barrier, where he assumed she had no magical powers. It was another to see them in all their glory. When Javier looked at Ben desperately, he simply fixed his Guard with a look that said he’d been asking for it. Hades’ laugh simply reinforced the message.

A moment later, green flames burst out of the floor a few steps behind Ben. There was a brief glimpse of Mal as she dropped Jay into the room before smoking out again. 

Jay jumped, turning towards where Mal had been a fraction of a second ago. “What the-”

He looked around quickly, his stance defensive, trying to get his bearings. 

A second burst of flame erupted to Jay’s right. His eyes went wide as Mal and Carlos appeared. 

“-al, what’re you-”

Carlos didn’t get an answer. Another puff of smoke, and Mal was gone again. 

Carlos performed the same check of his surroundings as Jay had, confusion clear on his face. 

The boys noticed Ben, shared a look, and then their expressions went deliberately blank. 

Another burst of flame sprouted from the floor, this time revealing Mal and Evie. 

The flames were still receding as Mal stalked back towards Javier, “I don’t need your _permission_.”

Ben had never seen this side of Mal before today, but the way Jay and Carlos fell into step behind her, blocking Ben from view, with Evie taking up a defensive position in front of his mother, told him they had. 

The girl hissing at his Head Guard, terrifying his bodyguard, was the daughter of Maleficent _and_ Hades. She brought fairy and godly power together in a lethal cocktail, and god forbid anyone got in her way. 

“Because she has mine.”

Ben was surprised when his mother spoke. She’d drawn herself up to her full height, projecting her queenly presence with ease. That belief in their authority that Ben was faking, Mal and Belle were comfortable with it. 

This was the Queen of Auradon putting her foot down.

“Someone tried to kill my husband. I’m _not_ taking the chance with my son.”

“But she-“

Mal, tired of Javier’s objections, silenced him with a wave of her fingers. Ben saw his panic as he tried to speak but nothing came out. Stepping into Javier’s personal space, Mal raised her hand, magically drawing him in. She let her eyes glow as she captured him in her gaze. 

Like a deer in headlights, the Head of the Guard yielded. 

Looking into the very depths of his soul seemed to tell Mal something. Dropping him to his knees, she scoffed, “You’ve watched me gut a man twice my size for taking liberties where he shouldn’t. I didn’t know that girl. What do you think I’ll do to protect the man I love.”

Ben just stared, suddenly unable to form a coherent sentence. He didn't think Mal realised what she’d just said.

Six weeks ago, she’d told him she couldn’t love. He didn’t believe her. He _knew_ she did.

This morning, she’d told him that she couldn’t say it. _That_ he did believe. 

So she couldn’t have possibly just said it. In front of an audience.

Ben didn’t hear Evie approach, but was too shocked by Mal’s words to react when Evie popped up next to him, resting her arm on his shoulder. “First time she’s said it, huh?”

“Okay. M.” Jay stepped forward, drawing Mal’s attention away from Javier. She was slow to turn, her eyes still glowing when she focused on Jay. Jay gasped when he saw them, taking a step backwards, “ _Jesus_ , you look like your mother.” 

Hades snickered, muttering something that sounded like _tell me about it._ That drew him to Jay and Carlos’ attention, both boys frowning. Evie simply hid a smile behind her hand. 

Shaking his head, Jay refocused on the point at hand. He lifted his hands in a placating gesture, “I get you want to fry old Javier here - and I support you in that one hundred percent. But can we talk about what the fuck just happened? Since when did you start teleporting under the barrier?”

“Yeah,” Carlos chipped in, pointing at her still smoking hair, “And why is your hair on fire?”


	11. Chapter 11

_ The Isle. 1 year ago. _

After declaring that she would show him the prison his father had created, Mal began digging through one of the trunks at the back of the loft. After a few moments, she pulled out something that looked like clothes and threw them in his direction. “We can’t exactly have you out there looking like you.”

Ben grabbed the fabric before it hit him in the face, looking down in interest. It was blue, surprisingly. There was a beat up pair of jeans - he suspected they may have been Jay’s - a white shirt that was somehow his size, and a heavy blue leather jacket. Mal was giving him armour.

Feeling bold, or reckless, he wasn’t sure, Ben pulled his shirt over his head and began to change. 

He wasn’t as toned as he was during college, when he’d played sports, but he kept himself in pretty decent shape. He noticed the way Mal pretended she wasn’t looking, but was checking him out in the reflection of a broken mirror. 

“Are those little crowns?” Mal laughed, giving up the pretence as she spun back to face him. For the first time...she looked like a normal girl. Eyes soft, teasing smile, disbelief written all over her face.

“Maybe,” Ben shrugged, inexplicably glad that he’d chosen to wear the boxers Doug had bought him as a gag gift for his last birthday. For a reaction like that, he’d order a full case. 

Mal laughed, rolling her eyes. Her tone was marginally softer when she added, “If anyone asks, you were a banker sent to the Isle for siphoning funds from your royal client’s accounts. We can stick with Ben. You need to react to whatever name you go with. Just keep your mouth shut, and your eyes open.”

...

“Hey. That’s one of the safe houses I set up.” Ben reached to grab Mal as they took a detour towards the market. 

Mal threw him a look of disgust, shrugging his arm off, before she looked at where he was pointing.

“That was you?” Mal frowned, realising he was pointing to one of the VK hideaways. They’d started popping up on the Isle about a year and a half before. They were safe spaces, with beds and food and locks on the doors. 

Mal had never known where they’d come from, and never bothered to find out. She’d handed responsibility over to Carlos, making sure that the safe places stayed safe. 

Not all villains were bad parents. But a fair few were. And some of the villains sought out VKs to torture. 

“Yeah,” Ben shrugged, trying to get a better look without getting too close. He had the feeling Mal turning up at one of the shelters would be out of place and would cause more problems than it was worth. But he still wanted to go inside. To see the reality these kids were facing. “It was one of my first acts as Crown Prince when I turned twenty one. I always felt like the Isle was forgotten. But trying to get any legislation through is a killer.”

“Hmm,” Mal mused noncommittally, her eyes never leaving the door. She watched as a few dirty children ran into the building, looking over their shoulders as they ducked under the doorway. This one specialised in kids under ten, so the door was too small for a villain to get through. Carlos always entered through the roof. “I always thought it was Cinderella. Trying to protect Dizzy since the custody battle didn’t work out.”

Cinderella and her stepsister Anastasia were both married when Auradon was formed. And because Anastasia had cleaned up her act, she was allowed to stay. Drizella, on the other hand, ended up on the Isle with Lady T. 

Cinderella and Anastasia had been trying to get Dizzy, Drizella’s now eighteen year old daughter, off the Isle for years. Drizella always blocked their attempts, and Mal doubted there was a lot of support in Auradon for such a move. 

“She’s a force of nature.” Ben agreed, well aware of where Mal’s thoughts had gone. Cinderella had petitioned the Palace for intervention for as long as he could remember. He’d started supporting her attempts when he turned twenty one and began taking on a more active role in running the kingdom. “She wants to get the kids of the Isle she just...can’t.”

Ben hated to admit how helpless he felt sometimes. Cinderella felt every loss, every setback, hard. Ben was able to take them in his stride, but then he wasn’t emotionally involved. 

He didn't have someone he loved there, someone whose prison he could see from his castle window and know there was nothing he could do to help them.

“And what about you?” Mal challenged, fixing him with a blank look. Ben tried to work out what she was asking. What she was angling for. 

She was trying to figure him out, just like he was her. Ben was pretty sure she was doing a better job.

“I… I can’t really do anything until I’m King.” Ben admitted carefully, weighing his words. He didn’t want it to sound like a cop out. But he didn't want to over promise either. “Which could be twenty years from now. So I try to champion worthy causes. In terms of the Isle, these shelters were one. More housing is on the agenda. Cinderella and I are trying to promote a scholarship programme for the lowest risk kids, get them into Auradon Prep, but the Board keeps blocking us.”

Mal huffed angrily, and Ben wasn’t sure what he’d said that set her off. She turned on her heel and stormed off towards the market. When he eventually caught up with her, jogging to keep up with her stride, she threw him a dismissive look. 

A few kids ran past them, skidding to a stop when they saw Mal. She threw a glare in their direction, barking orders for them to get back inside. That they knew better than to be outside after dark.

Eventually, as they approached the harbour, Mal growled, glaring at the ship pulling in.

“Housing is the least of the problems on the Isle, Ben.”

...

“This is not what my father signed off on,” Ben whispered from their vantage point in the roof of a warehouse lining the docks.

They watched as the residents on this week’s rotation unloaded the supply ship, pocketing their picks and throwing the rest into the warehouse for collection. 

Mal had explained how the ships used to come once a week, and now it was irregular. Sometimes it was weekly. Sometimes it was a full month. It was always scraps. 

Mal and Uma had devised a system. Everyone got a chance at unloading the ships - meaning everyone got a chance at first pick. They, of course, got their cut. But it was the only way to avoid bloodshed. If the ship didn’t turn up on your week, everyone was bumped out a week until the ship did appear. 

Ben had had to cover his mouth at the stench coming from the barge, the smell of rotting food undeniable. 

“Signed off on?” Mal murmured, watching as a fight broke out between Gaston and one of the pirates. She rolled her eyes, making no move to get involved. Jay appeared from nowhere, pulling them apart and pushing them in opposite directions. He shook his head, throwing a glare after Gaston. 

Ben didn’t think the years in isolation had done anything for his mother’s ex-stalker. 

“I’ve seen the paperwork from when the Isle was created. Yes, it was meant to be a prison. But it was never meant to run on scraps.” Ben couldn’t keep the horror out of his voice. He stepped closer to the window, unable to look away. These were his people too. And they were abandoned. “Especially not once it became clear there were children involved.”

“This is the reality, Ben. Not what’s on paper.” Mal almost sounded like she pitied him. 

Ben noticed the way she kept saying his name. He knew exactly what she was doing. It was an old negotiating tactic, forging a bond with the person you were dealing with. Humanising them. 

Did she really view him as the bad guy? Or was she just trying to bend him to her will?

“They’re charging the taxpayer for what’s on paper.” He pressed on, deciding he could only deal with one problem at a time. He saw the invoices from AuraCo Shipping every month. The shipping manifests. It had all looked so above board. Even increasing year on year to mirror the demand. “Lining their pockets at the expense of others. I won’t stand for it!”

“You realise I applaud them for getting away with it for over twenty years.” Mal pointed out, completely deadpan. As Ben got more worked up, she stayed quiet. Folding her arms and waiting for him to finish. As if she was bored, as if she had all the time in the world to play tour guide. “Who doesn’t love watching people suffer.”

The words were hollow. Even Ben didn’t believe them.

“At best, it’s fraud. At worst...it’s evil.” Ben sounded defeated as he pulled off his beanie and ran a hand through his hair. He needed to fix this. But he needed to get home to do that. And he wasn’t entirely convinced Mal was just going to let him leave. 

Growling in frustration, he slammed his palm into the wall of the warehouse. Mal blinked at the sudden movement, her eyes widening a fraction. Then she did that thing where she forced her expression to go blank. He hated it. He wanted to see her true feelings.

She couldn’t be as desensitized to this as she was making out.

“I know damn well that the head of AuraCo Shipping is sitting at home right now, in his cozy castle with two dozen servants. How is he any different from half the original villains in here.” Ben challenged, turning to glare at her, trying to provoke a reaction. 

“There’s no cursing or direct murder?” Mal shrugged, her tone light. As if causing pain and suffering was the end goal, and she should just accept the fact they were being subjected to it. 

“Are you defending him?” Ben’s voice rose in disbelief. Part of him was painfully aware of the fact that he was shouting at the daughter of the Mistress of Evil herself. The other part of him wanted to see if he could push her buttons. Get a true reaction. 

Clearly, he’d hit his head when he’d landed here. 

Mal grinned, seemingly happy that she’d got him angry. Dropping her arms and sliding into his personal space, she leaned up on her tiptoes to whisper in his ear, “No, Ben, I'm admiring his _balls.”_

…

It was almost sunrise when they got back to the loft. There had been a few stops, Mal showing him the worst of the island she called home. 

Mal had snagged some food from the supply ship before they’d moved onto the Cruella’s Hell Hall. She decided she’d feed him before returning him to the Guard. It was nothing fancy - stale bread and some meat. 

Ben forced himself to eat it, reluctant to reject her hospitality, and keen to discover what life on the Isle was really like. But he felt ill after seeing the conditions that the VKs were living in.

Ben watched Mal as she ate her share, sitting on the other end of the sofa with her legs pulled up to her chest. Doodling in her scrapbook. She looked so normal in that moment. She could have been like Lonnie or Jane or Audrey. If only she’d been born somewhere else. 

“Why did you maim that Guard when you were eight?”

Ben asked the question that had been on his mind since about 3am. There had been an offhand comment about guards taking liberties, but it was nothing like it was fifteen years ago. 

The timeline matched.

But he didn’t know if he could stomach the reasoning.

Mal stiffened, and refused to meet his gaze. She kept her eyes focused on her scrapbook, slowly colouring long lines of a design he couldn’t see, “My mom told me to.”

“No, it’s more than that.” Ben pushed, not believing that defence for a second. It didn’t fit with the picture he’d built of her in the last few hours, “You want me to believe that after everything I’ve seen today, everything I’ve seen from you, that you just randomly attacked someone. It’s not your MO.”

Her reputation preceded her. She was smart and she was ruthless. But everything she did was deliberate. There was no acting on impulse. Everything had to serve a purpose, even if it was a means to an end.

“It  _ was _ a test from my mother.” Mal clarified, finally looking up to meet his gaze. She shrugged, as if what she was admitting was no big deal. “I had to pick a target and maim them. Do something that would live on as a reminder. That Guard liked little girls. So I picked him. I waited until he tried to take advantage of a girl I recognised from school and then I made sure he could never hurt anyone else.”

Ben was pretty sure he was about to see his breakfast again. 

He thought of what he was like at eight years old. He was playing with action man figures and playing tag. Mal was being trained how to maim people. And she was choosing them based on their...preferences.

“Did he ever…” Ben trailed off, suddenly needing to know the answer, but unsure of how to ask it of someone he’d only met twelve hours before.

“Because of who my mother is, no one was ever stupid enough to try  _ that _ .” Mal answered slowly, as if she was trying to find some feeling about that. Ben didn’t think she could. That it was just another fact of life on the Isle. 

She paused suddenly, hearing something he didn’t. Holding up a finger, she brought it to her lips in a shhh motion. Panic flooded Ben’s veins - were they about to be caught? Mal might not hand him over to her mother, but someone else might. Raising her voice slightly, she Mal called out to the empty room, “And my father’s demons are always on my tail. Isn’t that right boys?”

There was a snicker from somewhere to his left, and then a puff of grey smoke. A small round purple imp landed in Ben’s lap, while a skinnier blue imp appeared by his shoulder. 

Ben jumped, throwing the first demon across the room in fright. He crashed into a table, throwing papers everywhere. Mal shook her head and rolled her eyes, while the other demon doubled over in laughter.

“Prince Ben, meet Pain and Panic.” Map pointed to the red blob on the floor, then the blue imp on the table. “They’ve been my babysitters for as long as I can remember. _Even_ _though_ I don’t need protecting.”

“Oh Mallie,” the red one, Pain, groused from the floor, slowly righting himself, “you forget the boss scares us more than you do.”

“Yeah, when he found out you were dragging some boy around the Isle, he scorched the ceiling.” Panic added, climbing on top of Ben and peering into his ears and eyes. Ben tried to shrug him off, but the demon held tight. “We’re just here to see if we need to steal any souls. We never get to do that anymore. Not since you insisted on disemboweling that guy when you were a kid.”

Ben choked on thin air, frantically looking to Mal for some sort of confirmation that it was a joke. The file didn’t specify the injury. But the guard lived. 

Mal just smiled, throwing him a look of pure innocence, shrugging as if to say ‘what are you going to do about it?’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love pre-Ben Mal. Love her. She’s so prickly.


	12. Chapter 12

_ The Isle. 1 year before. _

In the end, it took almost a week for the Guard to retrieve Ben. 

The Guard had told her they couldn’t meet at first light. So she responded with ‘That thing you lost in the museum? I have it. And for that response, I’m keeping it’.

In that time, Mal showed Ben almost everything she could think of on the Isle. They sat outside Gaston’s bar, watching what some of the OVs got up to after a few too many. Nothing happened that Mal needed to intervene on, just a lot of talk, but it was enough for Ben. 

Then she’d taken him to the docks under the pretence of collecting one of the VKs Uma’s pirates had scooped up before an OV could take advantage. She could have sent Jay, but she wanted him to meet Uma. The turquoise haired pirate and her heavily eyelinered first mate were a sight that had to be seen to be believed. Uma loved the Isle just as much, if not more, than Mal. They had a system for protecting the children that had nothing to do with gang affiliation. If they really did hate each other, Ben was sure it was everything to do with Uma and Harry Hook. 

But then on his last night, she’d changed tactics. At dusk, she’d teleported him to the western cliffs. They’d sat on the rocks in silence, watching the sunset.

Ben had reached out, covering her hand with his, and she didn’t pull away. 

He’d seen kindness in the shelters. He’d seen resilience in the streets. She’d wanted to show him the Isle had beauty too. But she just couldn’t say it out loud.

Just like he couldn’t say he’d spent more time watching his guide than the sunset.

That there hadn’t been an increasing number of moments between them as the days had gone on.

That night, Mal didn’t check in on her patrol. Didn’t pretend she had other things to do. When Ben wordlessly made his way from the sofa to the bed for the first time, because he couldn’t face the silence, he wasn’t surprised when she joined him a few minutes later. 

When he rolled to face her, he was surprised to see her eyes full of sadness. 

Somehow, over the course of the last few days, they’d clicked. This wasn’t Stockholm Syndrome, and he knew she felt it too. 

He really was his mother’s son. 

He’d wanted to pull Mal closer to him, kiss her deeply and lose himself in her. But he knew if he did that, he’d never be able to leave. 

So instead, he’d pulled her in for a hug. They’d ended up with her head on his chest, her hand over his heart, and his arm wound around her waist. Ignoring the words they couldn’t say.

At some point they’d dozed off, and Ben awoke to Mal stirring in his arms as the sun began to rise. One look at her hooded eyes and sleepy smile, the way her hair was mussed up from sleeping on him and he was gone. 

He leaned in to capture her lips, rolling her onto her back, and spent the next few hours losing himself in her anyway.

...

When they met the Auradon Guard at the harbour at 9am, her mask was back in place. 

Mal had pushed him towards Javier without so much as a flinch when he stumbled on the boardwalk. She’d taunted the guards for their slow response. Their incompetence in losing the Crown Prince in the first place. 

And then she’d fixed Ben with a look so sinful and full of promise, he was surprised the Guard didn’t realise  _ exactly _ what had transpired between them, “You owe me,  _ Your Highness.” _

And then she’d turned on her heel and stalked off without a backwards glance. 

Judging by the low whistle of appreciation from one of the guards sent to retrieve him, Ben wasn’t imagining the extra sway she was putting in her step.

“ _ Damn _ . If only she wasn’t evil, am I right?”

Ben just looked at the guard in disdain, attempting to keep the Beast reigned in. Despite the fact he was having those exact thoughts, he didn’t like anyone else vocalising them. Instead, he opted to whack the guard in the chest before turning and stepping on the boat. “She’d eat you for breakfast. Let’s go.”

…

His mother thought he had PTSD. His father was looking at him knowingly. 

He’d been back a week, and was storming around the castle like an angry bear. And he was only getting worse as the days went on. 

Getting home hadn’t been what he’d expected.

He thought he could forget about it. Move on. 

Forget  _ her _ .

He couldn’t. 

He appreciated the comfort more than he ever had before. The hot meals. The lack of flies. 

But he couldn’t get those kids out of his head. 

Couldn’t get the sight of dozens of children clamouring for the best spot at the supply ships, when all they did was drop off scraps.

His king size bed had never felt emptier. He’d rather be on that beat up sofa getting a kink in his neck if it meant he got another night with her. 

On the seventh day, he took a trip to the enchanted lake. Just to make sure sure he wasn’t spelled. 

Even though he’d been doused in lake water upon his return. But it didn’t hurt to check. 

As he’d thought, no spells. But he did have a sudden vision of a date by the lake. Feeding Mal strawberries. 

He knew what he had to do - at some point around his second day home, he’d started thinking about his life in terms of her. Where she should fit. 

Maybe he could make that happen.

It took him another week to execute his plan. 

He quietly began investigating the Isle supply chain, telling only his friend Lonnie and his parents of his plans. He needed more information before he could begin his investigation into the Auradon Guard, and figured the supply chain case would throw out a few names.

Then he booked a session with Cinderella to review her most recent proposals for the Isle. They needed to get them in a form that would pass the Council.

And then, he booked a hotel. He told his parents he needed a change of scenery, space to clear his head. 

Before he left, he swiped a barrier key from the Guard office. He packed the clothes Mal had made him wear, and hoped he would fit in without her by his side. 

And then, once Lancelot thought he was asleep, he snuck out of the hotel via the kitchens. He’d hired a delivery driver to park a scooter a few blocks away (anonymously of course), because it would be easy to stash outside the barrier. 

He’d found her in the loft around midnight. She’d skipped out on patrol again, and he hoped it meant she felt the same kind of loss as he did. 

She was that engrossed in her task - spray painting a sunset - that she didn’t notice him until he was a few steps behind her.

“You made your point.” Ben called, internally amused when she jumped and turned, clutching the can to her chest. He’d caught her off guard. It would probably never happen again. 

The air between them was electric, as if someone had sparked a fuse and now the live wire was free. 

They stood there for a long moment, neither one willing to break the spell. They were on the precipice. Once they stepped off, there would be no going back. 

“Now it’s my turn to make a fucking point.”

And with that, he closed the distance, threading his fingers into her hair as he pulled her lips to his. 

Mal came willingly, dropping the can as she melted into his arms.

Ben, knowing he would only get one shot at this, fought to keep control. 

He wanted to lift her up, to wrap her legs around his waist and slam her into the wall. He wanted to throw her on her war table and make sure he thought of him every time she looked at it. He wanted to give her control and just hang on for the ride.

But he didn’t. 

His kisses were deliberate, every press, every nip, every stroke of his tongue against hers served a purpose.

Somehow, Ben just  _ knew _ this was a first. 

Mal yielding control for the first time in her life. 

His first time breaking the rules. 

Her first time trying good on for size. 

But when he pulled her closer, brushing up against her, ‘deliberate’ went out the window.

It was like someone had sparked a match and it ignited the air. 

Suddenly, Mal’s hands were everywhere at once. Pushing his leather jacket from his shoulders. Under his T-shirt, pulling him closer. Tugging at his belt to get to what she wanted.

Ben pushed her backwards, aiming for the sofa as he grabbed the hem of her T-shirt and pulled upwards. He didn’t stop to look where he tossed it, all he knew was he’d tossed his in a similar direction a few moments later. 

Mal’s knees hit the edge of the sofa and she pulled him back with her, gasping at the force of their landing. Ben swallowed the sound as he captured her lips again, running his hand up her rib cage.

Mal rolled her hips into his in response, and Ben saw white. With a growl, he found the button of her jeans and made quick work of the final barriers between them. 

As she kicked her jeans away - Ben’s were somewhere near his ankles - Mal threaded her fingers through his hair and frantically recaptured his lips.

And then he was inside her, and for the first time in two weeks, he could  _ breathe _ .


	13. Chapter 13

_ Auradon. Present Day. _

An hour after pulling her friends out of the Isle, Mal was standing in the middle of the apartment that had been the sniper’s nest.

Mal hated to admit it, but her head was spinning. 

She wasn’t sure what the problem was. It wasn’t like this was her first trip off the Isle. From the age of six, she’d been on Olympus or in the Underworld at least once a month. More, when she was younger and her mother didn’t notice her absence. For the last year, she’d been sneaking into Auradon to see Ben. After a month or so, they’d gotten brave enough to start venturing outside of the castle or hotel rooms. 

But they’d used glamours. Or booked private rooms. Or taken trips to quiet parts of the kingdom.

This was the first time she’d been out in the open. As herself. 

From the moment she’d gone toe to toe with Javier, she’d drawn the line in the sand. Staked her claim. 

From that point, she wasn’t “just Mal” anymore.

Not her mother’s enforcer. 

Not Head Bitch of the Isle. 

Not her father’s daughter, heir to the Underworld, the misfit cousin. 

She was Mal, Prince Benjamin’s Isle girlfriend.

And what scared her...was the fact she wasn’t scared.

Her head was spinning. But she wasn’t scared.

A few hours ago she struggled to tell him how she felt. Now she was about to reign living hell down on Auradon to find the people who were trying to touch her stuff.

On the other hand, her friends had just shrugged at the development and carried on. Once they’d gotten over the whole magic under the barrier and flaming hair thing.

Evie was in her element. 

In another world, Evie would have been a princess of the court. EQ raised her as such. And because Evie knew about her father...Hades had trained her too.

So it was no surprise when Evie designated herself as hostess.

She made Belle a cup of chamomile tea. Instructed Lancelot to call a caterer and have lunch delivered. Insisted they change into something less conspicuous.

When Mal had left with Ben, Maleficent had put the remaining three on stand by. Evie had filled her in on Maleficent’s glee when Mal had escaped the Isle with the limo - she assumed Mal had duped the Guard somehow. Her mother had expected her to get into Auradon, and break the barrier. Or action some plan that would end in their revenge. Evie had gone straight to Hades, but she was only given basic instructions before Mal had requested his presence in Auradon.

Mal wondered how long it would take for her mother to realise she was working with Auradon, not against it.

She’d be _ furious _ .

That prospect should probably worry Mal more than it did.

Either way, it was too late to worry. The cameras still camped out at the outreach centre had already filmed them arriving on the scene.

Mulan had been in the Far East, and was somewhere over the Pacific on Sleeping Beauty’s private jet. Along with her husband General Shang, their daughter Lonnie, and her friends Doug, Audrey and Chad. 

Ben’s ex-girlfriend Audrey, but Mal tried not to think about that. 

Mulan had issued instructions for her team from the jet, but wouldn’t arrive herself until later that evening. Which left Mal in charge of her gang and the three of Mulan’s men at her disposal. 

Which meant when they arrived at the outreach centre, Mal had stood in the courtyard giving orders, ignoring the cameras. The shouts. The ‘who are you’ and ‘have you been hired by the palace’. 

She’d left Mulan’s team on the ground. She’d taken Jay and Carlos to the apartment. There was less chance of being exposed.

Not that they looked out of place. Mal, in her black jeans, green T-shirt and black bomber jacket, would not be out of place in Mulan’s world. Jay and Carlos were both in dark jeans and fitted black T-shirts. Mal didn’t think she’d ever seen them without a splash of colour. It was unnerving.

Her hair was the only thing that marked them as ‘other’.

Glancing around the room, Mal was beginning to wonder if it could tell her anything.

She was used to scenes of carnage. She’d walked the scenes of riots during and after the battles. 

This was different. It could so easily have been Ben’s blood she saw on the cobbles. 

And there was no carnage, not by her standards. Litter. Ripped bunting. Crowd control barriers pushed over.

Where was the destruction and bloodshed. The victims. The chaos.

There was fear, of course. She could sense it. 

But other than that…there was no indication of what had happened that morning. 

As for the room where the sniper had sat, it was untouched. Some furniture had been moved away from the balcony door. It was a dead end.

Growling in frustration, Mal stepped onto the patio and crouched down, trying to get into the mindset of the shooter.

Why here?

Why now?

Why like this?

Her words to Ben and Belle were ringing through her ears.

_ I wouldn’t be this sloppy. _

No, on the slim chance that she decided to kill someone with a gun, she wouldn’t have gotten so close. 

She would have parked herself a mile away, the setup of the town made that possible. Nothing was more than two storeys high. Everything was built in neat little squares. 

No one would have seen it coming. No one would have known it was her. By the time they’d traced it back to the nest, she’d be long gone.

_ And the king would be long dead _ , she shuddered at the thought. Her father made sure she always aimed between the eyes.

Being this close was a choice. Did the shooter want to watch the fallout? Or did they lack confidence in their skills? 

Or was it something else entirely? 

“So,” Jay dropped into a crouch next to her, his eyes focused on the square below. He was making the same calculations. Asking the same questions. Probably drawing the same conclusions. This didn’t make sense. But that wasn’t his focus right now, “ _ Prince _ Ben, huh?”

Mal kept her gaze trained on the cobbles below, refusing to give Jay the satisfaction of a reaction. 

He had been on her ass for months about Harry Hook. Warning her that with the way things were between Uma and Harry - volatile, unpredictable and definitely love - she was playing a dangerous game.  _ If _ , he’d stressed, she was even sleeping with Hook in the first place.

“Yup.” And then she smiled. She couldn’t help it.

It felt good admitting it. 

It felt better knowing that actually...he  _ was _ hers.

“I mean we knew it wasn’t Harry.” Carlos chipped in from inside the room, digging through the drawers on the off chance the sniper had spent any time there. “But I’m still glad it wasn’t him. We don’t have space in the loft for his ego  _ and _ Jay’s.”

Jay flipped him off and threw something at his head. Carlos ducked it easily, laughing as he did.

Turning back to Mal, Jay threw her a look, “You don't think we really believed that whole ‘the dude in the blue was a banker in Auradon and got sent here because he stole a bunch of money, don’t talk to my plaything’ speech, did you?”

Actually, she did. But she wasn’t going to admit that.

She knew Evie knew. And she knew Evie was trying to get her to admit it.

But she didn’t know they boys knew too.

Maybe her focus shouldn’t be who wanted to kill the King. Maybe it should be who else had seen through them?

Reading her silence correctly, Jay kept going. Nudging her with his shoulder, he gave her what she supposed was meant to be an encouraging look. She just thought it was strange coming from him, “Hey. We’re behind you, no matter what. But there’s only two ways a relationship can go, M. Either it ends, or it doesn’t. Only difference here is, if it doesn’t, you’ll be Queen. That changes things.”

Mal didn’t know what to say to that. Somehow, her friends had a better grip on the situation than she did. 

How could Jay, her almost-brother who fixed problems with his fists instead of words, vocalise her fears so easily. 

Did she want Ben? Without a doubt. 

Did she know she had to become more like Auradon to make it work? Yes.

Did she know Auradon might never accept her? Also yes. 

Did she want to be Queen? Not particularly.

Did she know what she was going to do about any of that? Not a fucking clue. 

“Look,” Carlos chimed in, sounding sincere as he headed over to join them. “I know girl talk is more Evie’s thing. But we’re dudes. And dudes in Auradon are just dudes with more stuff. A dude isn’t going to spend a year sneaking around with someone the way you guys did just for shits and giggles. If he hasn’t found the real you by now, he never will.”

“And what if I’m not sure who the real me is either?” Mal whispered, refusing to look at either of them.

There. She said it. 

She didn’t know. 

She was part Isle. Part Olympus. Daughter of a fairy. Daughter of a god. Head bitch. Enforcer. Demigod. 

Pretending to be trapped by the barrier. Pretending to be loyal to her mother. Pretending she didn’t know her father.

Friend? Girlfriend? 

Where did that fit?

She wore so many masks, she didn’t know what was real anymore. 

“I hate to break up the lovefest.” Jay was suddenly on his feet, breaking the moment. Carlos looked like he wanted to say more, but stopped when he noticed the same thing Jay did. 

Jumping over Mal, he joined Jay next to an oversized plant pot. “What kind of sniper doesn’t police his brass?”

“Gimmie.” Mal grinned, opening and closing her hands like a toddler as she reached out. 

_ This _ she could work with. 

This particular problem she could face head on.

“So. Objects absorb the energy around them.” She turned the metal casing over in her hands a few times, getting familiar with it. It was professional grade ammo. Not like the stuff they occasionally found on the Isle. Whoever was bank rolling this either knew what they were doing, or had hired someone who did. “It's easier with weapons, because they are almost guaranteed to have emotions tied to them. It’s like blood rust.”

Taking a deep breath, she let her eyes glow. She opened her palm, letting the metal float a few inches in the air. Letting it move freely, telling her it’s story.

“How is it possible she just got scarier?” Carlos turned to Jay, completely serious. It was like she wasn’t even there. 

Maybe they weren’t coping better than she was. After all, they were just as good actors as she was.

Mal continued to listen to the metal’s story, as it walked her through the morning. From the moment it left the box of ammo, to the wait for the King to step out, to the moment it popped out the rifle and into the plant. 

_ Well, well… _

“This is interesting,” Mal mused, dropping the glow. The boys didn’t blink this time. Progress. “Our shooter is terrified.”

“Because he missed the kill shot?” Carlos questioned, glancing back down at the square.

Mal knew they were on the same wavelength. How could someone who bought premium grade ammo miss a shot at this distance.

Unless it was deliberate. Unless they didn’t want to succeed.

“Because he was never meant to make the kill shot. But whatever he has to do next...it scares him even more than shooting his king.”

Mal spun on her heel and pulled out her cell, calling Ben. “Tell Evie to set the honey pot.”

…

Evie hummed as she added the leaves to the miniature cauldron she had bubbling on the window ledge of the King’s room. Mal had conjured everything Evie had written on her list, and now Evie was working towards progressing King Adams recovery.

Echinacea, garlic and goldenseal in case of infection. 

Ginseng, gentian, astragalus, rhodiola for strength. 

Horsetail to strengthen the tissue. 

Lavender and chamomile for Belle, because  _ damn _ she’d had a bad day. 

It was easy to stay calm. This wasn’t her first time off the Isle. 

She’d been patching Mal up after her mom tried to kill her - the first time - when two little imps had appeared from nowhere in a puff of grey smoke. One was small, round and purple. The other was skinnier and blue. Evie had been terrified. She’d never seen anything like that before.

She was six. Her best friend was seriously injured. What was she going to do against magic?

Mal recognised them. Called them Pain and Panic. 

They’d looked at Mal, each other, and then gravely announced, “The boss needs to see this.”

Then the blue one snapped its fingers, and suddenly they were in some kind of underground cave. Mal and Evie had huddled together, terrified. Forgetting every rule their mothers had beaten into them about maintaining your cool. 

When Hades walked out of another cavern, they were shaking. Hades was the most feared villain on the Isle. Even more than Maleficent. 

He had no interest in power. In territory. He was the God of the Dead. He got your soul anyway.

Or so he said.

So when he’d crouched in front of them, expression soft even as his eyes burned with fury, they’d been confused. When he healed Mal and fed them, they started to think about trusting him. 

And then he told Mal he was her father, and suddenly everything made sense.

After that, he kept tabs on them. Kept them safe. Made sure they didn’t starve. Started taking them to the Underworld and Olympus. Training them. 

He taught them how to fight. How to grift. How to play politics. 

He taught them magic. 

EQ was an enchantress, which meant Evie had a degree of magic. Most of her skills came from nature - herbs and flowers and chemistry and alchemy. But she had magic. And she could use it in anger if she needed to, as long as she was off the Isle. 

It was nothing compared to the magnitude of Mal’s magic.  _ That _ was a force of nature.

But Hades made sure she knew she was her own force of nature. 

Mal was the wildfire. Evie was a rip current. 

If anyone was watching, they’d think Evie had been left behind for her safety. 

_ Oh please.  _

Evie grinned as she tilted the cauldron into the cup, the steam rising into little apples. 

One too many Isle rats had made that mistake.

This joker would be no different. 

It was time to play. 


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have I already updated today? I have no clue. Have another chapter.
> 
> For a more in-depth look at the life Mal could have had on Olympus, see my fic Daughter of Olympus. It’s much lighter and involves a jealous Mal, Ben has a near death experience and they set of a smoke alarm after having some fun in a restaurant bathroom.

_ The Underworld. Ten years before. _

“Again,” Hades instructed from the shadows, resetting the scene with a snap of his fingers. 

Evie sighed, wondering how many times Mal’s father would make them rerun this set. They were in separate ‘rooms’ (environments Hades created with magic) and facing their own challenges.

This week, Evie was fine tuning her baiting skills. To start with, her job had been to lure in as many people as possible. Then her targets had started getting specific. The scenarios got harder. So she waited for her next lot of instructions.

“E, this time, you’re in a crowded market and you want to draw out someone who can help you on your quest. Someone who can further your aims. M, you want to get your target to agree to help you... _ without _ breaking him this time. You need to make them think it’s their idea.”

Evie nodded, repressing a laugh at Mal’s feedback. It was the same every week. Instead, she focused on the way the surroundings shifted. She was in a market now. She suspected it was Auradon. She glanced around, assessing the figures around her.

She had to find her target. Then she had to make them come to her. 

She spotted a woman by the fruit stall, her gut telling her that was her mark. She strolled through the stalls, slowly working towards her. She listened to the conversation, determining that, yes, this was her mark. 

Evie turned her attention to the vendor, striking up a conversation about apples. And how she was still trying to find ones like they had back home. 

_ Where? Oh I don’t know if you’ll have heard of it. A little place in Europe called Rhine. My mom came from there originally.  _

Evie saw the woman tense but ignored her. The bait was set. 

And now Evie walked away, towards a stall selling jewellery. 

She didn’t need to look to know she was being followed.

...

_ Auradon. Present day. _

“Why didn’t you just leave?” Ben asked Evie as they walked through the ground floor of the hospital, Lancelot a few steps away. 

They got looks, naturally. Ben had changed back into his ‘Crown Prince’ clothes. He was instantly recognisable, even when looking dishevelled and stressed. People were respectful. Gave them space. It was a small mercy. 

Part of Ben wished he was still in his father's room, with a barrier between him and the outside world.

As it turned out, there were only two people who knew how to break Mal’s protective wards. Her father (‘I taught her how to cast them’) and Evie (because it was a pre-agreed strategy between them). 

After Mal’s instruction to set the honey trap, Evie had sprung into action. She began brewing and muttering incantations, but without the frenzied energy Mal had possessed earlier.

Evie was slow, methodical. Dangerous.

After half an hour, she presented Lancelot with a steaming cup of liquid, instructing him to place it in an air vent near the media entrance. It was a balance between truth serum, and a blend that would make whoever smelt it become highly suggestible. 

She then held out a palm with two tablets - the antidote that would make them immune. She’d taken hers already. 

When Lancelot pointed out Mal basically had them trapped in a bubble, Evie had walked over to the door, took two fingers and waved them in a complex string of movements. The barrier in front of the door disappeared, and Evie’s quirked eyebrow dared him to raise another objection.

Five minutes after the cup was in place, Evie and Ben went for a walk to the coffee shop. 

Evie looked completely at home. White T-shirt, red skirt. Matching heels. Aside from her purple hair (she’d performed a quick glamour and looked at him with pity when he’d questioned why), she looked like every other girl he’s grown up with. She carried herself like she belonged. She was clearly comfortable - probably more so than Mal. 

She’d clearly been off the Isle before. 

Which begged the question…why did she stay there?

Evie raised one shoulder in a careless shrug, as if the answer didn’t really matter. Mal did the same when talking about the Isle. You didn’t question it. It just was. “Loyalty. Fear. No other options.”

Ben was silent, knowing that sometimes, you didn’t need to fill every gap in the conversation. Sometimes you needed to let people think.

“If we left, we could never go back. Auradon wasn’t an option, the Guard would recognise us. My mother’s home kingdom might not accept me. The Underworld isn’t really a long term gig, and we didn’t really fit in on Olympus. And we’d never leave the boys, but moving in a pack makes us more vulnerable.”

Ben nodded, accepting that those were all valid points. Strangely enough, Evie’s points were what Mal alluded to during their last argument. He wondered when they’d discussed it. Weighed up the pros and cons and decided to stay on the Isle. 

To pick that world and defend it with everything they had.

“And our mothers...” Evie sighed, looking towards a small group just ahead of them. A mother and her four children. It was chaos. But she was calm. Ben didn’t think he was imagining the envy in Evie’s look. “Mal loves her mom, even though Maleficent can’t love her back. And to my mom I’m just an extension of her being. She can be proud of me at least, but she is  _ so  _ scary when I disappoint her.”

Evie smiled sadly at the group, then turned back to Ben with a smile. Any trace of the previous emotion was gone, “If we’re gone, who protects the younger kids. I’d hope Uma would step up. But there’s no guarantee she’d be as effective as Mal. And anyway. We have a honey pot to stir.”

“There is so much wrong with that metaphor I don’t know where to start.” Ben laughed as they reached the coffee shop.

Pulling out his wallet, he glanced around to see if any reporters were in the vicinity.

There were. Four of them. 

Game on. 

“You should listen to some of Jafar’s. Mine makes perfect sense.” Evie shrugged, stepping up to grab a fruit pot and a yoghurt pot and rhyming off a complex iced coffee order. Glancing at Ben’s quirked eyebrow, she added defensively, “What? They have Starbucks on Olympus.”

Ben ordered his, with two extra shots of espresso, and something for his mother and Lancelot. While they waited, Evie moved to stand next to him, winding her arm around his waist. Ben tried to keep his expression as normal as possible. Reminded himself that Mal knew.

“I can’t believe how lucky your dad was, Ben,” Evie sighed, resting her head on his shoulder, her words just loud enough to carry over. “That bullet was so close to his heart. Isn't the trauma team just  _ amazing _ ? He’ll be up and walking in no time!” 

Then she paused, glanced at their reflection in the window, watched as the reporters took notice. She dropped her voice a fraction. The reporters were leaning in, hanging off her every word. Ben didn’t even need to do anything. Which was probably a good thing, he couldn’t even act like he was into Evie. “ _Thank_ _god_ he won’t miss the wedding!”

Suddenly, he understood the hair.

And pretended he hadn’t already wondered how Mal would look in a wedding dress.

...

“Why hasn’t he woken up yet?” Belle asked suddenly, her gaze never wavering from her husband. 

The Queen stood by the window, her arms wrapped around herself as if that could keep her together.

She never thought she’d show this kind of weakness in public. And certainly not with Hades. 

She was trying so hard to keep her fear from Ben. Trying to support him as he stepped up into his father's role, albeit temporarily. Trying to protect him from the damage this morning had wreaked on their lives. 

As soon as Ben and Evie had left the room with Lancelot, she’d wilted. Hades let her have her moment, and for that she was grateful. But she had to pull herself back together. 

She had to be strong. She had to lead.

She had to be Queen. 

But it would be a damn sight easier to be Queen if she knew Adam was going to wake up. 

“The trauma team sedated him based on the Beast.” Hades supplied without looking up from the cards he was shuffling. In another world, Belle would find it odd that the Lord of the Underworld was sitting by her husband’s beside. Not waiting to claim his soul, but  _ playing solitaire.  _

It was so...domestic. Familiar.

Comforting.

Even with the flaming blue hair.

“But I thought Mal fixed him?” Belle asked, heading back towards the bed and reclaiming her spot by Adam’s head. Reaching out to take his hand, she tried not to think about how it was too warm and clammy compared to what she was used to. 

This was better than the alternative.

“She did,” Hades agreed, still focused on his game. The god looked so out of place in the sterile hospital setting, but she supposed this was his grassroots. Hospitals and care homes gave out more bodies than battlefields. “But Auradon isn’t used to magical healing. They’re keeping him under and giving him the antibiotics as a precaution. He’ll wake up tomorrow with a killer hangover, but he’ll be good as new.”

Belle just nodded, hoping that that was the case. She could take him moaning about being shot. About being on restricted duties. About the killer headache.

Nothing could be worse than the silence.

Normally, Belle barely had time to think. Their lives were a constant cycle of charities and legislation, family time and media appearances. Always moving to the next deadline.

It was a privileged position. And Belle was forever grateful that she’d wandered into the abandoned castle that day. She couldn’t imagine any other life but this one. 

Even if she did hate the showmanship.

“You never held the Isle against us.”

Belle spoke again. The downside of having so much time to think, was that her brain went places it hadn’t touched in years.

Okay. Months. Since she found out about her son's new girlfriend. 

“I am incredibly old.” Hades tossed her a look, clearly wondering where she was going with this. He waved a hand over his cards, making them disappear, “You aren’t the first rulers to make bad choices based on fear.” 

“We trapped your daughter on the Isle.” she pointed out, frowning at his lack of reaction.

“We both know you didn’t.” Hades looked at her evenly, almost daring her to contradict him. When she didn’t, he laughed, “Do you think we should tell them they met when they were kids?”

“Until we found out about her, I hadn’t thought about that in years,” Belle smiled, glancing at the floor as she remembered. “You brought her to some diplomatic thing on Olympus. They couldn’t have been older than seven or eight.”

Belle remembered a little girl with bright purple hair and a dress the colour of midnight. She’d stayed by her father’s side most of the night, clinging to his hand. The other demigods were either older and too cool for the adults, or younger and running riot. Zeus had explained it away, saying it was her first big party. 

Ben had been watching everything with wide eyed awe. He was used to the opulence that came with being a major royal, but it was nothing compared to Olympus. 

“She was six. Ben had just turned seven. They were both terrified of being surrounded by all these gods and trying to play it cool.” Hades' smile was sincere. Belle could tell he cared for his daughter deeply. Which made his decision to leave her on the Isle all the more strange to her. 

“Didn’t Mal steal his crown? And then when you made her give it back she kept tilting it,” she laughed, suddenly being hit with a vision of Mal reaching up to Ben and moving his crown. He’d been so indignant, moving it back. And she kept tilting it. It had been adorable.

Hades' voice took on a teasing tone as he added, “You didn’t know who her mother was. You thought it was cute.”

She knew what he was doing. Pointing out her internal bias. Thinking it was cute because she was a demigod, instead of problematic because she was a VK.

Belle suddenly dropped her smile when she remembered finding out. It was after Hades had taken Mal home. Ben had asked who the girl was. If he could see her again. Belle had deflected him, but made a joke to Hera about young love.

_ “You really don’t know who she is, do you?” _

_ “She’s Hades’ daughter?” _

_ “Yes. And you banished her mother. Where do you think the name Mal came from?” _

“When we found out, we were more worried about her mother leveraging her powers. We thought of her as a weapon. Not a little girl.” Belle admitted guiltily. 

It was easy to remember now, the way their children had played so easily. So innocently. To see the woman Mal had grown into, the woman her son had fallen for, and see their worries had been for nothing.

Maybe they should have had more faith. Or been braver. Or tried to influence the outcome in their favour. 

The Isle was the skeleton in their closet.

You wrapped it up in whatever you had lying around. Then you put it in a suitcase. Then you put it in the closet. Then you just looked at it periodically, wishing it would go away. 

“All children of Olympus are weapons.” Hades scoffed, as if the suggestion his daughter wasn't dangerous offended him. “Even her party girl cousins can charm a king out of his kingdom then slit his throat with a smile.”

Hades shook his head, leaning forward to rest his elbows on the table as he studied Belle. “I could have taken her from her mother at any point and raised her in the Underworld. But it wouldn’t have done her any favours.”

Belle frowned, unable to see the logic, “I don’t follow.”

“If I’d raised her on Olympus or in the Underworld, she’d have been a princess. She’d come here every spring break with her cousins and the nymphs and cause hell. And your boy would still have fallen for her.” Hades explained, a ball of blueish light appearing between them. 

In it, a scene played out. Belle recognised it as one of Auradon’s beaches. 

Ben looked about eighteen, he’d had that haircut when he’d finished high school. Doug was there too. 

He’d just run out the surf towards his friends, heading towards the cool box to grab a drink. Someone shouted from the water and threw a ball to him. Ben reached up, grabbed it...and turned around crashing, right into Mal.

Except she didn’t look like the Mal that Belle met that morning.

She was wearing a tiny blue bikini with a see-through purple sarong tied around her waist. Her sunglasses were oversized, and her floppy hat (black of course) could demand its own deckchair. 

She looked like she’d walked off a magazine cover.

She looked like Audrey.

Hades watched the scene carefully, calculating, and then made it disappear, “But because of the Isle...she’s a leader. A warrior. A queen.”

“Auradon needs a strong queen. Especially right now.” Belle sighed heavily, refusing to meet Hades gaze, but equally unable to look at her husband.

“Hey,” Hades interrupted her moping, firmly asserting, “It already has one.”

Belle just shook her head. Not disagreeing, but not quite believing him either. In another world she’d have been more guarded. In this world, she was past that point.

“Twenty five years ago, everyone was so scared. Magic was running wild. The villains were everywhere. We didn’t know what to do. We drew the lines of good and evil where we thought they fell. And look where that landed us, where it was automatically assumed everyone who was left was good and everyone on the Isle was bad. That it was static.”

She shook her head again, this time in resignation. Accepting the mistake they made. But unsure of how to fix it. “And now the daughter of Maleficent is out there doing whatever it takes to protect my son, while the daughter of the Evil Queen makes me chamomile tea for my nerves.”

Before either of them could say anything else, Pain and Panic materialised on the bed. 

They were excited - more excited than usual. Pain held out a phone, pointing at the screen. “Looks like Evie got a bite boss.”

Hades took the device and glanced down, laughing when he read the headline. Holding the phone up, he tilted the screen in Belle’s direction, “Looks like we have hats to buy.”

_ HE’S ALIVE! _

_ Despite no official announcement from Beast Castle, sources inside Duke University Hospital say Prince Ben has been spotted with a mystery purple-haired woman discussing the King’s condition - and his attendance at theiupcoming wedding! _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You may remember I said there wouldn’t be time jumps in the same chapter. About a week ago I rejigged the story order and split up my chapters a bit more and now its a lovely mishmash but I prefer it!


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Evie may know these things by heart, I require Wikipedia.

_ Auradon. Present Day. _

Ben was asleep in the chair next to Adam’s bedside, looking uncomfortable. His body was too long for the chair, so he was stretched out awkwardly, his arms folded across his chest and his chin tucked down.

Belle was pretty sure he hadn’t slept properly in six weeks, so she couldn’t bring herself to wake him and move him into a more comfortable position. 

It was almost 10pm now. Mal had dropped back in around eight on the pretence of giving an update. Belle pretended to believe her, ignoring the fact that her first move upon smoking into the room was pulling Ben into a hug. Or that she dragged him off after the briefing to ‘talk privately’.

They probably did talk, eventually - but Belle was sure it was as much to do with Ben reigning in Mal’s homicidal tendencies, and Mal reassuring herself that Ben was still safe than anything else. Sometimes you needed your true love and physical grounding...god knows she could do with a hug right about now.

Ben had come back...somewhat lighter. So Belle ignored the way his hair was messier than it had been, and his clothes far more rumpled. And when he’d promptly fallen asleep...well at least one of them was getting some rest.

Evie had disappeared to talk to one of the doctors about the treatment plan. Once again, Belle had been surprised by the skills the VKs picked up due to a sheer need to survive.

Thirteen year olds in Auradon could barely survive without their cell phones. Thirteen year olds on the Isle could splint broken bones and cauterise wounds. 

Tomorrow, her first phone call was going to be to Cinderella to offer to help with those Isle proposals.

Belle jumped when she heard an orderly walk into the room. 

That shouldn’t have been possible with Mal’s wards. Belle wasn’t naive enough to think they’d failed, so Hades or Evie must have lifted them. 

The orderly looked nervous. His eyes kept darting around the room, and he looked a funny shade of green. Belle frowned, moving closer to Adam. 

Something didn’t feel right.

Then Belle’s stomach dropped. The honey pot. 

Evie had been on a charm offensive for the last few hours. She’d dropped tidbits of gossip to reporters. Had casual conversations with hospital staff. Sent a few messages from Ben’s phone to various member kingdoms and key support staff.

And now they’d caught a bite.

“Can I help you?” Belle asked, trying to keep her voice calm. She sounded a little strangled, but the orderly was too busy trying to appear calm that he didn’t notice. 

Belle wondered how quickly she could wake Ben. Or how quickly someone would appear if she started screaming.

“I’m here to give the King his next lot of medication.” He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. He reached for a vial on his cart - one of three, Belle noticed - and looked towards the IV line. “I’ve also got something for you and Prince Benjamin to help with the stress.”

“No. He’s not due anyth-“

Belle began reaching over her husband to cover the cannula, but didn’t even get a chance to finish her objection before green flames lit up her vision.

Ben jumped to his feet, abruptly pulled from his sleep, in time to see a blur of purple throw itself across the room. 

Mal was  _ furious _ . 

Her face was contorted into a snarl, the flames in her hair burning wild, while her eyes illuminated the room. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t  _ disembowel _ you right now.”

Mal’s growl cut through the room as she pushed the orderly’s face further into the wall. She held him a few inches off the ground, face first, with his arm pulled up behind his back. The vial had been knocked to the floor, and Evie appeared from nowhere to sweep it up. 

“You can’t question him if he’s dead, M.” Ben sighed, reaching out to place a hand on her shoulder. He looked confused, still somewhere between waking and sleep. But this was an automatic reaction.

“Perk of being my father’s daughter, I can follow him straight to hell.” Mal growled when the man in her grip started pleading for mercy. She pushed him further into the wall, almost crushing his shoulder in the process.

Meanwhile, Evie was ignoring the scene playing out next to her. She held the vial up to the light, shaking it a little. Then she uncorked it, taking a quick sniff.

Something dark passed across her expression, and she turned to tsk at the would-be assassin, “Over cooked Monkshood root? Really?”

“Monkshood?” Ben asked, his hand still firm on Mal’s shoulder. He tugged a little, enough that she’d feel it but not enough that anyone would notice. He wouldn’t undermine her authority by ordering her to stand down, but he wasn’t going to stand there while she gutted their only suspect.

“It’s a plant. It produces Aconitine which is a very potent neuro and cardiotoxin that causes persistent depolarization of neuronal sodium channels in tetrodotoxin-sensitive tissues. The influx of sodium and the delay in their repolarization increases their excitability and leads to diarrhea, convulsions, ventricular arrhythmia and death usually occurs within two to six hours. Other features may include nausea, vomiting, burning and tingling sensations, sweating, dizziness, difficulty in breathing, headache, and confusion. The main causes of death are ventricular arrhythmias and asystole, or paralysis of the heart or respiratory center. The only post mortem signs are those of asphyxia.”

Evie rhymed off the symptoms easily and turned to look at the group expectantly, stopping short when she saw the confused expressions. “What?”

“In English, E.” Carlos was the first to speak. He and Jay had arrived with Evie - silently - and were resolutely ignoring the battle of wills Ben and Mal were having in the corner. “Not everyone speaks EQ.”

While vain, Evie’s mother was a master alchemist. She had ensured her daughter could hold her own in the potions kitchen - it gave her an edge over the other VKs. Chemistry wasn’t magic. It was science.

Her years under Hades had only refined her skill.

“It attacks your nervous system for a very quick, very painful death,” Evie shrugged, ignoring the way Jay rolled his eyes at the simplified version, instead turning her attention back to the vial. She flicked it again, frowning, “Except this one would be high on the pain and low on the death because this idiot didn’t cook it up properly.”

Mal finally stepped away from the orderly, letting him fall to his feet, giving in to Ben’s persuasion. She stepped back into Ben’s arms, letting him wrap his arms around her waist.

It was a show of dominance on her part, she might have dropped him but she was still with the future King. 

Belle knew Ben wouldn’t care about her motive. He just wanted to have half a chance at holding her back.

She might be wrong, but she didn’t think that would go well. 

“He stewed it and altered the proteins - it’s like you aren’t even  _ trying.” _ Evie explained, her tone turning mocking as she addressed the man on the floor. Her dismissive glance stripped away any fight he had left. If Mal pinning him to the wall was like chopping his balls off, Evie had just looked at them and laughed. “There’s no gold star for effort, you don’t even deserve a  _ square _ .”

…

“I can’t believe you didn’t let me question him.” Mal muttered as she glared at the food choices before them.

She’d spent enough time in Auradon with Ben that convenience store food was normal to her, and on any other occasion she would have brought Jay and Carlos and basked in the chaos that would bring.

But right now, she was picking for them. Because they were questioning the man who had tried to kill Ben’s father twice. 

And she was in the hospital convenience store, in the middle of the night, choosing between chicken and bacon wraps or meatball subs. 

Grabbing two of each, she threw them into the basket Ben was holding. She was satisfied with the way it made the basket sway. Then Ben chuckled, and she resisted the urge to growl at him.

She reached for chicken Caesar wraps for herself and Evie, and threw them in Ben’s direction. He caught them easily, prick. 

A ham sandwich for her father. He caught it. 

A salad box for his mother. He caught that too, even though she’d aimed for his head.

She couldn’t believe he’d cut her out like this.

Who did he think led interrogations on the Isle?

What did he think she did on a day to day basis?

“You’d have skinned him alive.” Ben eventually answered, grabbing a handful of each type of chocolate bar. He walked over to where she was studying bags of snacks, her glare slowly morphing into a petulant pout. “And maybe I just wanted to keep you to myself.” He reached over, placing his hand on the small of her back, under her jacket. She leaned into his touch automatically, still pouting.

She’d spent six weeks missing him. She was trying to stop getting in her own way.

“And remind you that you’re only human.”

She turned her head sharply to glare at him. Maybe she could live without him. She’d be fine. How hard could it be? She’d managed twenty odd years before him. What was another sixty more?

He laughed again, leaning over to kiss her cheek. The most they could risk out in the open. They weren’t baiting the reporters this time, but that didn’t mean they weren’t there.

Mal turned away, suddenly incredibly interested in the brands of nuts. She hadn’t felt like this since the first time he’d told her he loved her, when she couldn’t say it back.  _ ‘I don’t know what love feels like.’ _ It had been a lie. Her father loved her. Evie and the boys loved her. They just didn’t  _ say _ it. 

It took her a while to realise this feeling was hurt. And she still didn’t know what to do with it.

“You know I’m not.” she whispered, wondering how she could use the cashews in her hand as a diversion. She wondered how often Ben forgot that just because she could pass as a normal person, she wasn’t. She didn’t inherit her mother’s horns. As far as she was aware she wouldn’t lay an egg. God genes were dominant over fairy, but she was still half and half. “I get your soul when you die.”

Ben - somehow used to her sudden changes of mood by now - just pulled her tighter into his side. She could still feel the dragon roaring under the surface, furious at being put on a leash. Fighting to protect it’s hoarde. But she felt...bad. So instead of feeding those feelings to the dragon...she lent against her boyfriend’s shoulder.

In public. Because seemingly they were into public displays of affection without glamours now.  


She didn’t disapprove.

“You already have it. But that was the wrong choice of word,” he apologised, but pressed on regardless. As if he’d been thinking about this while she was gone. Knowing Ben...he probably had. “You’re more than your parents’ daughter. I know everything in you is telling you to fight and protect, but you can do that without removing internal organs. You’re a better leader than that Mal. And you need to let me help, we’re in this together.”

“He tried to kill your father. Twice.” Mal pointed out, her voice completely void of emotion. As if she was explaining things to a toddler and trying not to lose her shit. “You and your mother were next. I could  _ feel _ how close you were to danger.”

The plan had been to let Evie catch the honeypot. But when she felt the Fates shift their focus to Ben’s string, when the call to return to the Underworld to receive royalty pulled, she’d seen red. 

She’d returned to the family room where Carlos and Jay were napping, rousing the boys to hear Evie’s update. Evie was barely into the debrief when Mal felt the tug. The glass of water in her had hand shattered, and she’d smoked from the room with a growl. 

_ Fuck the plan.  _

She needed him safe. 

“Because we lured him in. And now we leverage him for information.” Ben’s words pulled her back to the present. Something warm filled her chest when she watched him glance back to the shelves, and then impulsively grabbed a bag of chips. Mal added another two for good measure.

They were feeding the boys after all.

“No murder.”

Mal let out a petulant sigh and rolled her eyes. She wasn’t going to win this argument. And if she was being honest with herself, maybe she didn’t want to.

It had been a while since she’d actually killed someone.

Her body count had been static for...well, about a year. 

She didn’t need to let Ben know that though. 

“I hate you. You ruin all my fun.”


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little chapter, so it wouldn’t be nice posting it alone...
> 
> After this, we only have 4 chapters and the epilogue. It’s all about to come together!

_ The Underworld. Six weeks before.  _

Mal didn’t think about why she smoked into the bedroom she kept in the Underworld. 

She hadn’t slept there in years. She kept some of her Olympian things there. Everything else was in the mineshaft.

Everything hurt. It felt like someone had taken out her insides and left her hollow. Her eyes were burning with tears she refused to shed. 

She was furious. She had never been this angry. 

Her head was spinning.

The humiliation of hiding in a fucking cupboard listening to his ex trying to convince him to step up. The words they’d screamed at each other in his suite. His face as she’d smoked out. 

All the things she should have said. All the things she should have done.

She should have fought for what she wanted.

She should have ripped his throat out for using her as a distraction from his responsibilities.

She should have roasted his ex on the spot for implying he didn’t really love her.

Ben was hers. 

_ Hers.  _

Or maybe he never was. 

So how did she end up becoming his. 

_ You’ve had your little rebellion Ben, it’s time to lead. With me. Like we were always supposed to.  _

Mal picked up the nearest thing to hand, a lamp, and launched it at the cave wall. It made a satisfying smash, but the relief was short lived. Letting out an unintelligible screech, she grabbed a vase and threw that as well. 

She didn’t notice the blurs of pink and blue as Panic and Pain dove for cover. 

She felt her skin vibrating. Her edges becoming hazy. The dragon was roaring, screaming to be let free. 

To hurt as much as she was hurting.

Too much emotion. Too much feeling. Too much _. _

She barely noticed the way the room burned red, as her hair caught fire and kept going. She didn’t care that she had probably put burn marks on the ceiling. She didn’t notice how things started floating around her, or how things spontaneously caught fire. She just reached for the next thing, and the next, and kept throwing.

She barely registered someone calling on her, saying her name, until her father was in front of her, grabbing her hands. “Mallie,  _ stop.” _

Face to face with her father, the way his eyes were wide with concern, Mal wilted. She didn’t need to see the way his brow furrowed in confusion, or the way the fire burned just behind his eyes as he tried to reign in his papa bear tendencies long enough to find out what was going on. 

The anger disappeared, and everything just  _ hurt.  _

Breathing heavily, she looked at him for a long moment. Trying to get a handle on her emotions. Trusting to push it back down. Trying to be the soldier her mother created. 

She couldn’t do it. She felt hollow and empty and the more she tried to put a lid on it the more it hurt. 

“Mal, what happened?” 

It was her father’s words that broke her. She’d been prepared to hide. To vent and lash out until she couldn’t feel anything at all. To fight until she was numb.

But he was here and he was holding onto her and looking at her with that look that she  _ knew _ was a parent loving their kid...and maybe it was okay to fall.

Because he’d catch her. 

_ “Daddy...” _ Her face crumpled, her shoulders heaving with the sobs she finally let out. Throwing herself into his arms, she clung to him like a lifeline. “It  _ hurts.” _

“I know baby,” he soothed, stroking her hair as her legs gave out. Mal didn’t see the way his hair turned red or the intensity of the glare he fixed on the cave wall. She didn’t see the way Panic and Pain emerged from behind the burning wardrobe, looking at Hades for instruction. Or the way he inclined his head towards the surface. All she knew was his voice was breaking through the fog, letting her feel something other than her loss, “I know.”

…

Hours later, Panic and Pain returned to the Underworld. Hades was sitting on the floor of the living area, watching Mal sleep. 

She was curled around Cerberus’ heads, falling asleep in the hound’s basket for the first time since she was eight. Even in sleep, he could see her pain. 

He hadn’t been prepared for her first heartbreak. Hadn’t thought Beast’s son was stupid enough to hurt her. He was  _ supposed _ to be the poster boy for goodness. 

He’d  _ expected _ Mal to hurt Ben.

Hades was weighing up the risk of not being there if she woke up against smoking into the Palace and stealing some souls. 

“We watched the boy, Boss.” Panic was the first one to speak, shrinking back under the weight of Hades’ glare. “He’s in worse shape than she is. Smashed up his suite. Keeps trying to call her but I guess she turned her phone off.”

“I did that.” Hades growled, turning his attention back to Mal. For once, he didn’t know what to do. Leaving her had been necessary. Finding loopholes second nature. Raising her once Maleficent broke their deal, training her, opening her eyes to her mother...they were all part of the plan. 

His little girl heartbroken over some boy was never part of the plan.

This was the first time Mal had cried. Ever. 

For Ben’s sake, it had better be the last.


	17. Chapter 17

_ Auradon. Present day.  _

When they got back to the room, Lancelot was dragging the prisoner away in handcuffs. He nodded at Mal - an improvement on their earlier encounters - before informing them both, “Evie can fill you in. But he didn’t know anything worthwhile. He’s off to solitary confinement.”

Map swore under her breath, while Ben pressed his mouth into a firm line and nodded. Everything was pointing to the legitimate power grab theory - the entire plot was too sophisticated to be anything else - but they didn’t have a clue who could get behind it. 

Mal had ruled out Javier when she’d looked into his soul - his redirection of the Guard after the attack had been driven by panic and fear. He poured his resources into the square and immediately stood down Adam and Belle’s bodyguards pending investigation, banking on hospital security to keep the royal family safe until he could get control of the situation. It was an oversight that would need to be addressed, but it wasn’t treason.

No one else had approached them - all the member kingdoms had released statements and sent personal messages. Queen Leah had turned up at Beast Castle, but Belle said that was to be expected. 

There was mounting pressure for Ben to make a public statement. A few member kingdoms had made strong suggestions for various approaches - the loudest was King Stefan, calling for the kingdom to unite against evil and ‘tap into the knowledge on hand’. It was enough to make Mal put a pin in his name, but not enough to go knocking down his drawbridge.

Heading into the room, Mal tossed two of the bags in Jay and Carlos’ direction. The third bag had everyone else’s food. 

Any other time, she’d have enjoyed the wide eyed wonder. The way they dug into the bag, trying to work out where to start. She suspected Jay would be the meatball sub, and Carlos the chocolate bars.

But right now, she was trying to figure out where to go next. So she focused on Evie and hoped her best friend had a plan b. Because right now, she had nothing.

Well, nothing that didn’t involve going on a murderous rampage and searching the soul of everyone in the kingdom. 

But Ben didn’t like that idea. So that was plan f.

“He was recruited in Auroria. His gambling debts were paid off for the small price of shooting the King, then poisoning the entire Royal Family.” Evie began, barely looking up from her cauldron. She’d moved it to the end of Adam’s bed and was adding a red liquid to the mixture. “Truth serum was a bust, whoever hired him made sure he didn’t know anything other than his role. We have the name of a pub and a description of a guy in a robe who didn’t show his face. Interestingly though, he’d only picked up the breadcrumbs I’d leaked to the media. Nothing from the Guard or the hospital staff.”

“Want us to run down the pub?” Carlos offered around a mouthful of chips. 

Mal didn’t even spare him a glance as she shook her head. “Not yet.”

She wasn’t sure if it would generate a lead, or if it would tip off their would-be murderer. Either way, she would only have a small window before word of the arrest got out or their prisoner missed a check in.

She wanted to punch something. 

She would burn Auradon to the ground if it meant keeping Ben safe. 

But she wasn’t allowed to. And she was trying to be okay with that. 

This wasn’t the Isle. She needed to play smarter. 

But god, if this was the Isle she’d have dealt with it already. 

“You’re vibrating,” Ben whispered, wrapping his arm around her, pulling her from her thoughts.

She was losing control of the dragon again. She would need to be careful.

Taking a deep breath, she remembered the methods her father taught her as a child.  _ I’m calm. I’m calm. Totally calm. Totally fricking calm.  _

“What about your mom’s mirror?” Jay asked suddenly, mid-bite of his second sub. He looked at Mal and Evie expectantly, as they should have worked it out already, “You know, mirror mirror on the wall, show me the one who wishes Auradon would fall.”

Mal and Evie turned to each other, their expressions blank. The words hung heavy in the air.

They should have thought of that.

_ I’m calm. I’m calm. Totally calm. Totally fucking calm.  _

…

Before Mal could summon EQ’s mirror, there was a knock at the edge of the forcefield.

“Ben, it’s us!” A voice called from outside the room. Mal recognised it as the girl from the phone earlier. Lonnie. 

Mal waved to open the barrier, and suddenly the room was flooded with people. Mal stepped closer to Ben’s side in surprise, blinking a few times to adjust to the sudden change in energy.

He squeezed her hip reassuringly, reminding her that she could do this. 

There was an Asian girl about Jay’s height in a tracksuit - the colour and crest told Mal it was the training kit for the Auradon Swords & Shields team. She led the way, worry written across her expression as she took in the newcomers. 

That must be Lonnie, which meant the older couple must be Mulan and Shang. Mulan made straight for Belle, pulling the Queen into a bone crushing hug. Shang made his was to Adam’s bedside gravely, clapping Ben on the shoulder when he got close. 

The man in a green blazer must be Doug, Mal guessed. He was frantic, his hair sticking in all directions from how often he’d been running his hands through it. He made straight for the bed, almost crashing into Evie and her cauldron. He burst into tears the moment he saw Adam, causing Evie to start in surprise. She glanced at Mal, before she busied herself leading him to a chair and pouring him a cup of her chamomile tea. 

And then Mal spotted Audrey. 

Ben’s ex-girlfriend looked  _ ill.  _

She wasn’t the arrogant pretty pink princess Mal remembered from six weeks before. She was...smaller somehow. 

She barely looked at anyone else, slowly walking towards Adam in shock. She reached for his hand, gripping it tightly as she shook her head. 

Lonnie stopped in front of Ben, refusing to look at the bed. Without any pleasantries, she fixed Ben with an even stare, “You need to talk to Audrey. Like right now.”

“Mal. It needs to be Mal,” Audrey said suddenly, without looking away from Adam. She sounded like she’d swallowed sandpaper, and Mal suddenly wondered what it must be like to be in her position. Faced with the man you’d expected to be your father-in-law, someone you’d grown up with, at death's door...but to have no idea of your place in the picture. 

Mal felt almost sorry for her. Almost.

“We have the whole floor.” Mal offered, ignoring the way Ben tensed next to her. She could be an adult. She hadn’t killed anyone so far. Her hair wasn’t smouldering. The odds were good. 

Audrey simply nodded, looking back at Adam. She leaned over, pressing a kiss to his temple. And then she followed Mal out of the room without a word.

...

“I owe you an apology,” Audrey said as soon as Mal closed the door behind them. They’d only gone across the hall, neither feeling brave enough to travel too far from the group. 

“Me?” Mal frowned, folding her arms across her chest. This was not the way she’d expected the conversation to go. She didn’t know what she had expected exactly, but an apology wasn’t it.

“I knew you were there when I was talking to Ben.” Audrey admitted, the guilt written all over her face. “Well. Not  _ you _ , you. I knew whoever he was seeing was in there. I felt terrible because I was hurting him, and I was hurting her, but I didn’t have a choice, I had to have that fight with him.”

Mal knew she was looking at Audrey like she had grown a second head. 

This...did not make sense.

Six weeks ago, Audrey had stood in a corridor of Beast Castle arguing with Ben, moments after Mal had hid in a broom cupboard. It had been humiliating. Hidden in there with the cleaning supplies, listening to Audrey argue with Ben about how he needed to get his head out of his ass and back on track. About how he’d had his little rebellious stage but they needed to prepare to rule. Every King needs a Queen and she’d been preparing for this as long as he had.

Mal hadn’t given Ben a chance to explain afterwards. She’d been too focused on not ripping his throat out. 

And now...Audrey was saying it was, what? Staged?

“My Grammy’s sick.” Audrey continued, the words coming like a flood, now that she’d started, she couldn’t stop. She started pacing, and Mal followed her with her eyes. All she could do was listen, “Her mind is going. Ben knows, but he doesn’t know how bad she’s gotten recently. I tried to find him afterwards. To apologise. He was avoiding me, understandably. It was left field. He thought I was happy with Chad.”

She paused and looked at her hands, another wave of guilt passing over her features, “I  _ am _ happy with Chad.” Then she shrugged, “But I’m in the doghouse with him too. Chad might have an ego the size of a small country, but even he can only take so much of being told that he isn’t good enough for me. Grammy had her staff tip off the media that I’d be at the Championship with Ben. You probably saw the coverage. It was nothing like reality.”

“And people say my mother is evil,” Mal muttered, although she was pretty sure Audrey didn’t hear her. She was too busy pacing.

“She’s getting worse, she’s fixated on regaining our family’s power and I’m just a pawn. That day, she was in the room with half the Summer Gala committee and basically threw me out into the hall when she heard Ben. Everyone knew what was happening but no one could stop it. Because Grammy outranks everyone except Chad and Ben’s families.”

Audrey looked at her again, shaking her head sadly, “I admit I didn’t have an easy time after the break up and I took it out on him. I’d spent so long being pushed towards him, preparing to be Queen, I didn’t know who I was without that.”

“I can understand that,” Mal agreed slowly, finding that she did. After all, she was the same, to an extent. Without the Isle, without her role in keeping it running...who was she? Had she not just voiced the same fears to Jay and Carlos hours before?

When she was young, she’d thought living in Auradon or Olympus meant you’d never be unhappy. As an adult, she knew that wasn’t the case. But right now, she was glad she’d grown up away from court life. That her father had kept her on the Isle.

The alternative sounded miserable.

But it also did not sound like this was what Lonnie had been so keen to talk about.

Before Mal could press, Audrey started talking again. 

“After what my grandfather did…” she trailed off, gazing at a point near Mal’s shoulder. She didn’t need to finish. Mal knew what she was talking about. King Stefan’s affair with her mother. The reason Maleficent wasn’t invited to the christening. “Well it’s not like they could get divorced. They just lived separate lives. Grammy never forgave him for having to hand my mother off to the fairies.”

“And he never forgave my mom for tempting him in the first place,” Mal finished, knowing that much of the story from her mother’s ramblings. 

She still wasn’t sure what direction this was going, but she had a feeling that she was not the only one who was suspicious of King Stefan.

“He’s just as obsessed with power as Grammy.” Audrey groaned, resuming her pacing as she gripped the roots of her hair desperately. It was clear the girl was torturing herself. “I think… I think he’s used her illness against her. He thought he saw your mother a few months ago, in some hotel. We told him he was seeing things but...I guess it must have been you. He was so mad.”

There was no malice in Audrey’s voice. No hard edge. No grudging acceptance. Somehow, Mal knew this was genuine.

She didn’t know what to do with that knowledge, but she had it.

“Merryweather called me not long after the news of the shooting broke. Grammy was...happy about it. But she didn’t know why she was happy.” Audrey shuddered, going impossibly paler. Mal knew she was replaying the scene in the other room. Adam unconscious. Mal realised Audrey didn't know he’d been healed and was just sedated. But she didn’t enlighten her. 

If the thought of Adam suffering was what it took to make her do the right thing, Mal was not above leveraging it.

“She wasn’t making sense. Said it was just the beginning and we’d be back on the throne in no time. My grandfather's butler ushered her away before Merryweather could find out anything else. I left a voicemail with Ben, but he obviously hasn’t listened to it.” Audrey paused again. As if she was weighing up her next words. 

Mal didn't think she was going to say anything, but then Audrey let out a hollow laugh. She shook her head in disbelief, as if she still couldn’t wrap her head around something. “When the papers started reporting an engagement, I was so relieved because maybe I hadn’t screwed up Ben’s chance at happiness after all. Grammy phoned saying the Palace was organising a wedding for next month and she was so angry with me. So disappointed.” 

She turned away from Mal, wrapping her arms around herself. Mal recognised them move. Holding yourself together when it felt like all the pieces were about to fly away. Somehow, she wasn’t surprised by the mocking tone Audrey imitated, _ “Your mother could hang onto a prince in her sleep.” _

The words echoed in Mal’s mind. She’d heard that tone before. But the words were different.

_ When I was your age, I was curing entire kingdoms. _

For once, Mal was speechless.

She could appreciate the irony. Of their interwoven stories. Of the role their parents had played in each other’s lives. Of the fact the villain was playing hero, and the hero was the damsel in distress.

Of the fact that this story could have so easily been coming from Evie’s mouth. 

That the way Leah made Audrey feel was far too close to Mal’s experience with her mother than she cared to admit.

But this was crazy. Even for her.

But Queen Leah knew the breadcrumb Evie had fed some mid-level Guards. That was a problem.

“I…” Mal started, studying Audrey carefully. The girl was crying now. Angrily swiping at the tears as if it was an inconvenience. Another reaction Mal could understand. “Are you sure?”

“I hope I’m wrong. I hope I’m being crazy. But you don’t know my family. You don’t know my grandfather's inner circle. They  _ scare _ me.”

There was something about the fear in Audrey’s voice that made her believe. Mal remembered stories about Stefan’s inner circle. Once upon a time, her mother had been part of it.

And any group that once counted her mother in it’s ranks...

When the tingling in her neck started, the sign that something was coming, Mal knew it was time to act. 

Waving her hand, Mal plucked EQ’s mirror out of the air. Audrey didn’t flinch at the move, she was used to magic. Mal had to give her points for that. 

Maybe, in another world, she’d have gotten on well with Audrey. Her persistence would have been an asset.

Holding Audrey’s gaze, Mal nodded. There was one way to test Audrey’s theory, “Well, let’s see if Evie can catch us a killer.”


	18. Chapter 18

_ Auradon. Present day. _

“Let it out, Mal.”

Hades stood patiently, his expression neutral as he studied his daughter. She was hiding in the family room after a disagreement with Ben and Evie about how they should try and draw Stefan out.

EQ’s mirror had done the trick. Jay’s suggestion, basic as it was, had worked. And it had proved Audrey’s theory. Evie had had her hands full calming Audrey after the scene had played out - despite being the one to come to Ben with the information, she had promptly thrown up the moment the mirror went black. And then the crying started.

It was now 3am. 

Lancelot had arranged for someone to take Audrey back to Beast Castle - they couldn’t risk her tipping anyone off by acting in anger. Evie had whipped up a mild sedative and slipped it into the tea.

Mal wanted to go straight to the source, cutting the head off the snake. Evie, ever the level headed one, had reminded Mal that that wouldn’t solve a deeper problem. They couldn’t kill the weed without attacking the roots. 

Ben agreed with Evie. 

For someone who was questioning his skills as a leader, Beast Junior was doing okay. His plan was to spend the next two days gathering evidence and attempting to lure him out. Determining how deep this went. Giving Audrey the opportunity to get Queen Leah the help she needed. They’d cut off Stefan’s access to anyone who could support him. Shut down his media exposure. Leak more suggestions about Mal and Ben’s relationship.

Give him a target. Make him desperate enough to get caught with a smoking gun. 

Jay hadn’t been far off the mark when he’d snapped at Mal that she’d agree with the plan if the bait was anyone but Ben.

That was when Mal had stormed out, and Hades had stood from Adam’s bedside, offering to go after her. 

As the God of the Underworld, he was supposed to stay neutral. Just like Zeus was supposed to keep it in his pants. 

Which meant, it only happened when he felt like it. 

He’d found Mal in the family room, about to take her frustration out on a vending machine. He could see the signs she was beginning to lose control - flying at Javier, relying on her magic more and more, storming out - but if he was honest her control had been slipping since she’d had the fall out with Ben. 

He’d began to worry she’d flatten the Isle before she faced her problems.

As much as he’d taught her, learning how to balance those feelings you can’t compartmentalize with your duty was something she had to work out for herself. He’d been the same when he’d first left her. And he’d been much, much older than she was. 

Mal simply glared at him, her grip tightening on the soda can in her hand. Hades folded his arms and raised an eyebrow challengingly.

Mal huffed, tearing her gaze away and focusing her glare on the table to her right. 

_ Three, two, on- _

The table caught fire. 

Mal let out a sound that was somewhere between a groan and a shriek, stomping her foot at the fact she had lost control.

“Fuck this shit,” she snapped, crushing the can completely, ignoring the way it’s contents covered every surrounding surface. Her hair erupted into flames, burning deep orange as it raced towards the roof. 

“Better?” Hades asked once the flames receded, clicking his fingers to turn off the fire alarm and extinguish anything still burning. 

“No, my boyfriend still has me on a fucking leash.” Mal scowled, tossing the destroyed can in the trash in disgust. 

“You have yourself on a leash,” Hades scoffed, crossing the room and leaning on the units next to Mal. She hadn’t seen that even stare since she was sixteen, when she got frustrated and snapped during their training sessions. 

She used to get so mad when things didn’t work the way she wanted them to. Or when he made her take a different approach. Where her mother would make her disappointment clear, Hades just looked at her calmly and told her she could do better. That she was smarter than she gave herself credit for, that she was more than just a villain. 

“We both know the only people who can  _ make _ you do anything are your old man, and your darling uncle, Mr. King of the Gods himself. Everyone else gets an opinion, but it’s up to you if you listen to it.” Hades continued, reminding her of her obligations as a demigod. As King of the Gods, Zeus could give an Order that anyone with godly blood would be compelled to follow. Hades, as an original Olympian, could do the same to any of his bloodline. He’d used it once to show her he could. He’d made her tidy her room. Shrugging carelessly, he added, “I believe this is called ‘growth’.”

“Well, I don’t like it.” Mal muttered, hopping up on the unit to sit next to her father. She was still glaring, but her hair was back to its normal state now. 

“Aren’t you wondering why you’re listening to him?” Hades asked, a hint of laughter in his voice. 

“Why do you always do this,” Mal groaned, leaning over and hiding her face in his shoulder. “Why did I get the father who has heart to hearts and makes me question my motives instead of one who left me emotionally stunted and projecting my trauma.”

It was an old joke now. Mal had struggled with having a caring parent, especially when she was a teengaer. The number of times she’d screamed  _ ‘why can’t you just be evil like a normal parent’  _ had surprised even him. 

And just like every other time, he responded, “You have your mother for that, and she does it excellently.”

They sat like that for a long moment, Hades enjoying the easy affection. She still struggled with that. As much as he wanted to flay Ben for the state Mal had been in, he was happy that the light was back in her eyes now. It had been gone too long.

Eventually, Mal sighed, “I have to go back in there and agree to this don’t I?”

“You know it’s a good plan.” Hades shrugged, giving no direction either way. He had no doubt she’d find another way that didn’t risk Ben if she calmed down. But Evie would have never suggested it if it wasn’t the best way. “But you need to own the risk. Work  _ around  _ the constraints. Just like we practiced.”

Mal sighed heavily, rolling her eyes. “I hate you. You ruin all my fun.”

Good thing Hades knew that was her way of saying I love you. 

Ben would work it out soon enough.

…

_ The Isle. Two days later. _

“What is taking that girl so long,” Maleficent whined, lounging in her throne as EQ adjusted the TV set. There was another press conference coming up, and without any imminent sign of breaking the barrier, they didn’t have anything better to do.

“You don’t really think she’s coming back for you?” Jafar cackled from the fridge, helping himself to a jar of peanut butter. Opening it, he eyed the spoon already there before shrugging and digging in.

“You’d leave her here to rot!” EQ added, stepping back from the TV to admire her handiwork. The picture was clear now, and the stage outside the hospital was filling the screen, awaiting Prince Ben’s arrival.

“So?” Maleficent scoffed. As if that fact had any bearing on her daughter’s loyalty. The girl wanted her approval. This was a sure way to get it.

Before anyone could reply, blue flames shot out of the floor by the throne. Jafar jumped, backing into the counter and knocking various pots onto the floor. EQ clutched a hand over her heart, more for dramatic effect than due to any real shock.

Maleficent just rolled her eyes, well aware of her ex-husband’s tricks.

“She’s not coming back, M.” Hades smirked once the smoke had cleared, looking around Dragon Hall with distaste. He’d never liked the building. Too...gothic. Too...much like his ex-wife.

“You don’t know her,” Maleficent scoffed, barely throwing a glance in his direction. They avoided each other since the day he’d left when Mal was three months old. When she told him he was going to make the girl soft. 

Weak. 

Just like  _ him _ .

“Oh, don’t you remember our deal?” Hades asked innocently, stalking towards the throne. He smirked when Maleficent’s eyes went wide, her head snapping towards him. He was quicker, planting his hands on the armrests, pinning her to the throne. “Oh, you do,  _ good _ .”

Hades towered over Maleficent, an almost bored expression on his face. But she saw the glint of excitement in his eyes at the prospect of chaos. All that was missing was the smile that was sweet as sin…

Maleficent was suddenly bombarded by a dozen images of her daughter sporting the exact same look. In negotiations with underlings. Right before she was about to show her power. Her ruthlessness. 

_ You can raise her until you intentionally hurt her. Not training her, not toughening her up, hurting her just because you want to. _

She tried to push down the horror at that revelation, instead narrowing her eyes in anger. Anger was good.

Anger didn't care that he’d claimed his part of the deal. That he’d been right. That she was blind to her own nature. 

That she was an evil bitch. 

Not that anyone was shocked.

“What did you do?” She growled, wondering how she had failed to notice his influence on her daughter all these years. Mal had never given her reason to doubt her loyalty. Her evilness. Not even once.

Unless you counted that letter from Stefan. But that was just the old fool seeing things. Wasn’t it?

She was her mother’s daughter. And if not, she was one hell of an actress.

“She was  _ six.  _ What do you  _ think _ I did? I was a fucking parent,” For once, Maleficent saw true anger in his eyes. Not his usual explosive rage. This was deeper. More dangerous. Like a swirling current about to pull you under. She found herself leaning in, remembering what it was like to get drunk on his hate. 

“You remember it, don’t you?” His words were light, inviting. Luring her in. “It was when her powers started to manifest. And you tried to  _ beat _ them out of her.” 

And then his hair scorched the ceiling.

Maleficent smirked, amused that even after all these years she could still get under his skin. She remembered the early days. When she riled him up just so they could fall into bed afterwards.

They were lucky this house was still standing.

She wondered if she could still reel him in. Convince him that the thing with Mal was just...an oversight.

They’d both got what they wanted anyway. He got to be involved and she got her perfect little weapon. 

Just as she was about to make a move, Hades pushed away from the throne in disgust. Almost as if he could read her thoughts.

Or maybe her body language gave her away.

“I taught her to love. Trained her in the way of the gods. Prepared her to be Queen.” 

“You made her weak!” Maleficent snapped, more put out by his rejection than his actions. Mal couldn't be so stupid. So weak. She was a weapon. She was her daughter. She was -

EQ gasped suddenly, drawing Maleficent’s attention away from Hades. She was pointing at the screen, one hand covering her mouth. 

This was genuine shock, not something put on for the benefit of others. The way she was staring was too genuine.

Maleficent followed her gaze, dropping her sceptre when she realised what she was looking at. 

Crown Prince Ben - Prince Ben in _Isle casuals_ that were _clearly_ the _work_ of _Evie_ \- was walking onto the stage with a girl on his arm. 

A girl in skintight black leather pants. Heeled boots. A midnight  _ blue _ sleeveless leather jacket. Black fingerless gloves. 

The only familiar feature was her vibrant purple hair. And even that had been expertly styled.

Hades' laugh echoed around the room, claiming his victory.

“Which one of you is on a stage in Auradon next to a Prince.”


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The toddler has a headcold and there’s only so much Peppa I can focus on...so I’m being trigger happy with the post button.
> 
> For an alternate version of this scene, see Protecting What’s Mine.

_ Auradon. Present Day.  _

Mal kept her expression deliberately neutral as she let go of Ben’s arm, allowing him to step up to the podium.

They’d been through this. This was her plan. Ben approved. Her father approved. Adam and Belle approved.

Evie approved, and if Evie said it was a solid plan, it was a solid plan.

She had the stage surrounded by a fucking forcefield.

Nothing was getting within six feet of Ben.

It didn’t matter, every cell in her body was screaming against putting Ben into the line of fire. 

She’d taken Evie’s plan and embellished it.

She insisted on being on the stage. Her nerves couldn’t take standing on the sidelines. So she’d stand by his side, unashamed. No hiding. No apologies for her roots.

Mal of the Isle. His girlfriend. 

She had Evie create Isle casuals for Ben, and a new blue set for Mal. It wasn’t quite full armour, but it was a shift that showed they were not in peace times. It aligned Ben with the Isle. Her shift from purple to blue would align her with the royal family, a signal to the gangs loyal to her of where her allegiance now lay. If they had a problem with it, there was always Uma.

They had to hope it would make Stefan snap, if he hadn’t already.

“Let me begin by thanking you all for your kind thoughts and well wishes sent to my father, High King Adam -”

Mal tuned our Ben’s words, a deliberate message written by Evie and Doug. If he got to finish it, it would inspire the people of Auradon to do better. Take chances. Be brave.

To embrace the shades of grey. 

But if it did what it was meant to, it would trigger another round of bullets.

They had spent the last two days doing extensive recon. Carlos and Jay had run down the pub. Evie had flirted her way into the butler’s chambers in Queen Leah’s castle. Doug, it seemed, was surprisingly handy with computers. He hacked into many, many things that Mal did not understand and returned with a stack of print outs that she did.

Messages between King Stefan’s household and mid-level members of the Auradon Guard. They had leaked itineraries and floor plans and Guard protocols. As much as Mal had hated to admit it, Javier was unaware. She’d already searched his soul, she knew he had nothing to do with it, treason was not within his gift. 

Bank transfers to their first would-be killer. Payments to another two after the first was arrested. Lancelot quietly scooped them up on minor road traffic violations. 

And Lonnie...Lonnie hit the jackpot. She ‘went to visit’ Audrey at Neuschwanstein, the working palace, and Audrey quietly slipped her the keys to her grandfather’s office. Lonnie found a hidden room - normal for old castles - which contained a second office - not so normal. Stefan was so sure that no one would find the room, he hadn’t bothered locking the desk. Lonnie had found copies of dozens of letters to Maleficent - long, rambling letters that got crazier as the years went on. 

They couldn’t determine if Lonnie found all the letters or not. They did find a few replies from her mother, the most recent dated two months before. 

The content had turned Mal’s stomach. She knew her mother was playing him. Using him for her own ends. But the sickenly sweet words, the way she promised a world where they could rule together… It was the same speil Mal had listened to growing up.

Her mother had clearly bent some Guards to her will, to pass on the messages. What worried Mal was that she hadn’t known about it. She was supposed to know everything about her mother’s empire.

In one letter, he’d detailed how he thought he’d seen her at the Citizen Hotel with Prince Ben. If she’d escaped, why had she not come to him. If she had chosen Ben, he would destroy the whole family. And then he’d began ranting about the hierarchy within Auradon. They didn’t find a response from her mother. But Mal couldn’t remember her mother being suspicious. Paying her any extra attention.

Maleficent had no impulse control. If she’d suspected, she’d have gone on the offensive straight away. Zero to psycho in seconds.

Mal could imagine the tantrum that EQ would be suffering through given Mal’s new attire.

Ben started talking about “finding friends in unexpected places” and “the support from friends from all corners of Auradon”, while Mal performed another sweep of their surroundings.

Nothing suspicious yet.

She spotted Jay and Lonnie weaving through the crowd, their bodies on high alert. Mal had put them in Isle casuals too - there was something comforting about catching a glimpse of the red and tan leather, knowing Jay had her back. Lonnie looked like she belonged next to Jay, the pink and blue casuals fitting like a second skin. Carlos’s white and red leather was a flash on the rooftops of the buildings opposite the hospital courtyard.

Although she wasn’t leaving Belle and Adam’s side, Evie had changed into hers for solidarity. And created a light green set for Doug ‘because she needed to see if he could pull off leather’.

Mal was pretty sure Evie would like him even if he couldn’t.

“Three days ago, our country fell victim to an evil unlike it had ever seen before. This was not the work of witches or goblins or things that go bump in the night. This was a vicious and cowardly attack by someone with no understanding of what Auradon is, or what it stands for.”

Ben paused, like Evie had told him to, letting those words sink in. The crowd was silent. 

Mal could see the looks Ben’s new attire was getting. The curious glances being thrown her way. Some of the reporters would recognise her from the scene of the shooting, but most of the viewers at home would be thinking of the news stories mentioning a girl with purple hair.

“Whoever was behind this attack, and those who share the ideology, are no longer welcome in Auradon. They say-”

Ben didn’t get a chance to finish his statement.

At that moment, a bullet embedded itself in the forcefield. The ward shimmered green, showing the sheer size of Ben’s protective bubble. 

The crowd gasped, but Ben stayed where he was. Glaring in the direction of the bullet. Completely confident in Mal’s ability to keep him safe. 

Mal was by his side in a heartbeat, one hand on his arm, the other on her chest and she pushed him away from the podium. She pulled the barrier closer as she watched Jay, Lonnie and Carlos head in the direction of the shot.

She let her eyes glow, searching for threats. She could track the trajectory of the bullet back to a small two storey building, but that didn’t mean their shooter was alone. Or that it was who they hoped.

A second and third bullet hit the shrinking barrier, getting closer to its target. 

It was a deliberate move, but it made Mal’s fury rise. 

Her inner dragon roared, pulling at its chains. Begging to be let free.

_ I’m calm. I’m calm. _

Mal caught sight of movement on one of the rooftops, the glint of a rifle. Zeroing in, she caught sight of a grey cloak shifting position.

There was another quick burst of gunfire - the crowd was hysterical now, and Mal knew they needed to stop this before innocent bystanders were trampled to death - but this time, the bullets stopped centimetres from Ben’s face.

This time, Ben’s eyes did widen in fear, his hands gripping her waist hard enough to bruise.

Something inside Mal snapped.

_ I am so not fucking calm. _

_ “Enough!” _ she roared, throwing her hands to the side as she stepped away from Ben. 

Her hair and hands caught fire, the rage needing somewhere to go, the glow in her eyes getting impossibly greener. The crowd froze, drawn to the spectacle on the stage. Mal strode forward, through her barrier as it retreated to encase Ben.

“I’ll just stay here then. Trapped in my ball. Like some kind of helpless princess!” Ben called after her, his irritation clear.

Mal was reminded of that first meeting on the Isle.

The way she’d gone to town, and he’d rolled his eyes as if it was nothing. The way he looked at the monster, and called bullshit.

It didn’t matter to him that she was on fire. He was pisssd she was changing the plan on him.

He was the bait, and Mal stayed by his side. That was the deal. He’d wanted her safe too. There was no knowing what Stefan would do to the daughter of his obsession.

Well, now she had a new plan. 

Mal turned as she reached the edge of the stage, throwing him a grin that was pure evil. 

He wasn’t looking at the girl who was obsessed with strawberries and liked to snuggle under blankets as they watched mind numbing children’s films. 

He’d seen a glimpse of this girl when she had challenged Javier. The raw power. The rage. The dragon she tried to keep caged. 

This was part of her. And it was time she embraced it.

She could be both versions of herself.

It was ‘and’, not ‘but’.

She was a demigod, and she was a fairy.

She was his girlfriend, and she was a leader in her own right.

She could be a soul-stealing succubus. A demon from the very depths of the Underworld, a herald of death.

And when she was happy, she could bake cookies and shit.

“Here's the thing, Ben,” she cooed, her voice taking on a velvety quality he’d never heard before. It drew him in, but when he tried to step forward he hit the barrier. She knew exactly when Ben noticed she was vibrating again. But this time, it was more than just her edges that were going hazy. She wasn’t fighting it anymore. “Only one of us is bulletproof.”

And then she turned back towards the crowd, and jumped.

Mal knew Ben expected her to jump off the stage. To take matters into her own hands.

Instead, she propelled herself into the air, wrapping herself in a blanket of purple smoke like she was welcoming an old friend. A moment later, the dragon appeared in her place.

Mal revelled in the freedom of letting go. Of unchaining the dragon and letting her rage run free.

Stretching her wings, Mal threw her head back and let out a roar. 

She didn’t look back to see Ben’s reaction. 

Three flaps of her wings and she was at the rooftop before the boys and Lonnie. Carlos was closest, but he skidded to a stop when he looked up to discover that the shadow suddenly descending over the courtyard had four legs and breathed fire.

She briefly caught sight of the way Jay put out an arm to defend Lonnie, but she was more interested in what she found on the rooftop.

King Stefan. And a smoking gun.

…

“You haven’t changed a bit, my love.”

If Mal hadn’t been so furious, her skin would have crawled with the familiarity in the King’s tone. He thought she was her mother. Fabulous.

Stefan raised his rifle to aim at Mal - a desperate, pointless move really - but before he could do anything, she swung her tail around to bat him away. He went flying across the rooftop, the gun flying out of his reach. 

He tried to get up, tried to crawl towards it. 

Mal roared. How dare he have the nerve to get back up again when she had quite clearly spared him. She sent a burst of fire his way, feeling zero remorse when the flames burnt a hand. 

He thought he could touch her stuff.

Hell no.

She made sure to avoid melting the gun - evidence was evidence after all.

Reaching down with her claw, Mal scooped Stefan up, using just a little more pressure than was strictly necessary.

So what if she broke a few ribs. It was the least he deserved.

She could hear the grovelling from the man in her grasp. She tuned it out. 

She didn’t need to listen to the man who still loved her mother plead for his life. 

This was about  _ her _ life.

Growling, she turned and flew back towards the stage.

The boys could collect the evidence if they really wanted to. Her job was done.

Ben was safe.

She could breathe again.


	20. Chapter 20

_ Auradon. Six months before. _

Mal bolted upright, thrown into consciousness, ready to defend. Ready to destroy whoever dared break into their loft in the middle of the night. 

She blinked. She wasn’t in the loft. 

Mal looked around, trying to orient herself with the surroundings. Large room. Expensive furniture. Not the minimalist style of Olympus. There were no clouds in the room. 

“Hey, it’s fine.” Mal felt a hand snake around her waist, pulling her back down. Her heart rate began to slow, recognising the voice, the touch. Grounding her. Letting her push the dragon away again. 

Lying back down, she rolled to face Ben in the dark. “Sorry I woke you,” she whispered, her internal clock telling her it had only been a few hours since they’d finally given in to sleep. 

“Nightmare?” Ben asked, his eyes still closed and the way he lazily ran his hands over her body told her he was barely awake. 

“I thought I heard something.” Mal felt embarrassed at her overreaction. On the Isle, not reacting could get you killed. But this wasn’t the Isle. This wasn’t even Olympus. She should have adapted by now.

“What time is it?” Ben’s words were more of a sleepy mumble now. He pulled her closer, tucking her head under his chin. 

“4am.” Mal glanced at the clock before she snuggled in closer, enjoying him beneath her more than the bed. She’d be home soon enough. And she couldn’t work out a way that she could have both.

“It’ll be Cogsworth doing his morning rounds.”

Mal was silent, just enjoying the moment. And then her brain kicked in, just as she thought Ben had fallen back asleep. Telling herself she wouldn’t ask again if he was asleep, she whispered, “What would you have done if he’d found me?”

“You’d disappear.” Ben’s words were calm, with no malice. No double sided barb. Just a fact. He began trailing his fingers up her side again as he continued, “And when he asked about the smoke, I’d tell him that he was the first to meet the future queen.”

“They’d never make a villain a queen.” Mal rolled her eyes, and then rolled on top of him, because sleep wasn’t coming. Leaning down, hair tumbling over one shoulder, she stopped a hairsbreadth from his lips and purred, “I’m just your bad girl phase.”

Ben was awake instantly, his hands anchoring her to him when she rolled her hips over his. 

“Maybe bad girls make the best good girls,” he mused, his hands cupping her bare ass. She’d snagged a T-shirt because she loved the way his eyes glazed over when he saw her in his clothes. That didn’t require underwear. 

The look he fixed her with held more promise than heat, and Mal knew he was talking about more than their bedroom activities, “Because they  _ choose _ to be.”

It was too much. Too soon. 

So she did what she was good at. She distracted him.

She closed the space between them, kissing him sweetly. Deeply. Acknowledging his words, but not quite agreeing.

And then she slid her way down his body, fully intent on showing him just how  _ nice _ she could be.

And if Cogsworth heard…she’d deal with it.

…

_ Auradon. Present day. _

Mal stopped above the stage, flapping her wings to hover in place. She focused on the man in her claw, focusing on trapping him in his own cage. 

Stronger than the barrier. Stronger than her forcefields. Something that could hold up even on Olympus. 

Despite the training with her father, she had never tried this in dragon form before.

She rarely took the dragon. 

The dragon was her mother. And she  _ was not  _ her mother. 

Once Stefan was secured in his bright green bubble, and Mal had given it a few testing prods to ensure it would hold, she let him slowly float towards the ground. 

Then she turned her attention inwards. Taking control of the anger, taking control of her emotions, reigning them back in. 

She closed her eyes and she took a deep breath, letting her wings still. She felt herself drifting to the ground. 

She thought of Ben. Of the feel of his hand on her back before they’d stepped onto the stage, grounding her. 

Of the ways he could help her burn off this excess energy once they were alone.

Mal felt the smoke rise as the transformation began. As she shed the scales. And the claws. 

As she became Mal again.

When she opened her eyes, she was standing on the stage before Ben. With a flick of her wrist, she dropped his protective bubble. 

She ignored the way her outfit was still smouldering. Instead she offered Ben a smile and shrugged as if to say,  _ yeah, so that happened. _

She was in the process of throwing him a finger wave, when he rushed over, thread his hands into her hair and pulled her lips to his.

This wasn’t a kiss. It was an  _ experience.  _

He was kissing her like his next breath depended on it.

This was everything he couldn’t say. It was heat, and growls, and fear, and pride, and so  _ so _ not appropriate behaviour for the Crown Prince of Auradon in front of about a million news cameras.

Pity Mal had never been big on rules.

“There she is.” Ben smiled when he finally pulled back, cupping her face in his hands. There was pride in his voice. She’d expected surprise. She’d expected questions. But this was Ben. Of course he understood why she’d done it. 

He saw her. 

He’d always seen her. Known who she was and what she could be.

What  _ they _ could be.

“I haven’t killed anyone since I met you. And maybe I don’t want to break that streak,” she admitted with a shrug, enjoying the way his face lit up at her words. She glanced over his shoulder to where several members of the Guard were trying to move the bubble containing Stefan out of sight of the cameras. As if that’s where they were focusing. She’d help them…eventually. 

She looked up to the window she knew Ben’s parents, Evie and Doug were watching from. Belle was crying, her hands over her mouth. Adam was looking so much healthier now he was awake, watching them with something like pride. There was sadness when he looked at King Stefan. And Mal knew the fallout would be far reaching. Evie, on the other hand, was grinning like this was the best day of her life. And Doug was looking at Evie like he’d finally seen the sun. 

Mal heard a thud behind her and turned, watching a Jay, Carlos and Lonnie jumped onto the stage, bypassing the steps off to the side. Jay said something to Lonnie, and she pushed his shoulder. Carlos was ignoring them, laughing as he approached Mal with his arms outstretched. He was jubilant in victory, beyond the point of being surprised by her powers, and just so…happy. 

This was the life Mal hadn’t let herself dream of. 

The one she’d convinced herself she was too evil to deserve.

She caught sight of her father in the crowd, hovering on the edges, the neutral spectator once more. He caught her eye and smiled, nodding in approval.

_ You did good Mallie. _

Mal grinned, turning back to Ben. The words came easily as she wound her arms around his neck, “Maybe...bad guys do make the best good guys?”


	21. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...there we go. We made it and thanks for sticking with me - I hope everyone enjoyed it :)

_Auradon. 6 weeks later._

After the incident at the press conference, they didn’t go back to the Isle.

They couldn’t. Not after so publicly defending the royal family. 

According to her father, Maleficent was on the warpath. EQ had quickly realised the perks of having a daughter in Auradon and was bragging to everyone who would listen. Jafar was complaining he had no one to stock the shelves, and Cruella hadn’t even noticed. 

After the first rumour of a purple haired girl with the Crown Prince, Uma had gone looking for Mal. After the press conference aired, Uma claimed Mal’s territory before any of the other gangs could make a move. The loss of power only added to Maleficent’s rage.

Mal was a dead woman if she returned to the Isle. 

Which would be a problem...if she’d wanted to return. 

Ben, knowing that he could never take anything for granted, had confirmed that she was staying with him as soon as they’d watch the jail carriage cart Stefan off to the dungeons. He’d offered her friends rooms in the palace until they were settled. When she’d pointed out they needed a long term solution for the Isle, Ben had simply held up his phone to show fourteen missed calls from Cinderella. 

After watching Mal save their Crown Prince, and being faced with the reality that one of the kingdom’s heros was capable of murder, public opinion was open to change. Cinderella, a master publicist, had leveraged the gap with a ferocity that wouldn’t be out of place on the Isle. Her aggressive PR strategy - highlighting the conditions on the Isle, putting Carlos on a magazine cover surrounded by puppies, trotting out Evie like a showpony, sending Jay out to train on the lawns with Lonnie topless - was nothing compared to Belle’s. Mal didn’t think it was possible to make so much progress via an afternoon tea. And Belle held many.

Between the two Queens, the public were ready to lift the barrier themselves within the month. 

By the end of the month, Cinderella’s Rehabilitation Bill was in front of the Grand Council. Needless to say it passed. 

Any VK, irrespective of age, who wanted to leave would be welcome in Aurdon. They would be fully supported in the transition. 

All OVs would be re-evaluated. Some would be released. Others would remain on the Isle, or moved to mainland prisons. The Isle would have better provisions. Conditions would be improved.

The sheer amount of paperwork and organising required was frightening. 

Sometimes, Mal missed the simplicity of life on the Isle. And then she remembered her mother’s anger, or Ben, and the feeling passed. 

Within a week of the press conference, Mal had formally installed Uma as her replacement. It would ease the transition, avoiding friction with the other gangs that could hinder their progress. 

The pirate hadn’t believed it at first when she was summoned to the palace. But eventually, Uma realised the offer was genuine and got in the car. Much to Harry Hook’s displeasure. 

After the discussion of the logistics, just as they were about to end the meeting, Uma fixed Mal with a questioning look. In a rare moment of openness, the kind they hadn’t shared since they were seven, Uma asked, “So, all those times you disappeared, you were never with Harry?”

Mal shook her head, deliberately keeping her expression blank. If she laughed, Uma would clam up. With a shrug, she admitted, “Not since we were twenty one and you kicked him out your bed because one of his fan club broke onto the ship.”

Deciding to take the chance - what was it Ben had told her? That open and honest was the key - Mal pushed further, “You ever actually ask him where he goes, or do you just always assume it’s a girl.”

Something akin to hurt flashed across Uma’s expression before she pushed it down. Mal knew that look. The one that said they were villains, and they didn't deserve love. Uma laughed hollowly, offering Mal her own shrug as she replied, “Isn’t it always?”

“Maybe it’s time for a leap of faith.” Mal suggested, knowing that Harry would drop every member of his fan club if Uma ever gave him half a chance. If she offered him a real relationship, instead of their current friends with benefits arrangement. 

“Are you seriously giving me relationship advice?” Uma frowned, looking at Mal skeptically. 

Yeah, it was weird for Mal too. After so many years of uneasy alliance, being nice was....weird.

Taking a deep breath, Mal nodded. She was still getting used to this. “You are more than just a villain Uma. We did so much good on the Isle. Even if our methods were questionable. Maybe people like us deserve true love too.”

“That still doesn’t tell me where he goes.” Uma challenged, crossing her arms defensively. 

“Jesus, woman, he fucks off every time you two fight just to fuck with you.” Mal snapped, giving up on being nice. If Uma was going to play awkward, Mal had a few home truths to share. “He wants a reaction to prove to himself that you care. He hides out in the fucking caves and thinks no one knows about it.”

There was silence after Mal’s outburst. 

Uma was shocked, but didn’t challenge her. She didn’t ask how Mal knew that. And Mal didn’t want to admit that she had found Harry drunk in the caves a few months before. He probably didn’t remember spilling his heart to her. And it was probably better that Uma heard it from him first. 

Ben, sensing that Mal was about to say something that detracted from her ‘nice’ act, stepped in to fill the silence, “See, was being nice so hard?”

Mal turned to look at Ben sitting behind his desk, looking at her with laughter in his eyes. He looked so smug sitting there in his blazer and his crown. As if he’d finally gotten everything he wanted. Huffing, Mal reached over to tilt his crown. “I hate you and you ruin all my fun. Six months ago I would have left her squirming.”

Ben just laughed, leaning back in his chair, as if this was the most entertaining thing he’d seen in a while. It probably was. 

Uma frowned, looking firmly at Mal as she pointed at Ben, “Is he always this perky?”

Mal heard the real words. 

_This dude is going to rule Auradon? You and him? Jesus, how have you not eaten him alive?_

Theatrically widening her eyes, Mal mouthed, “All the time.” 

“I saw that.” Ben threw a pencil at Mal, which she caught easily. 

Mal knew their little display of domestic bliss worked when Uma laughed.

There was hope for all of them.

...

**AuradonNow!**

**Isle of the Lost Special!  
  
**

**Including an exclusive interview with Prince Benjamin & Mal. We quiz Auradon’s newest power couple on how they met, sneaking around the barrier and transitioning to royal life. **

**Exclusive Sneak Peek!**

**Ben:** Landing on the Isle opened my eyes to a lot of things. Made me question a lot of things I took for granted. The shades of grey. 

**AuradonNow!:** And purple!

 **B: [laughing]** And definitely the purple. Mal got me off the Isle when she could have done about a million other things that would have boosted her reputation or secured her power, and they would have all ended very badly for me. That’s when I realised that Isle politics weren’t that different from ours. It wasn’t a bunch of villains running amok - although trust me there were a lot of those - there was a whole generation fighting to survive and there were a couple of good leaders doing everything they could to make that happen.

 **A:** So, why did you decide to help him? Was it love at first sight?

 **Mal: [laughs and looks mildly disgusted at the prospect]** No. Not at all. The first thing I did was throw a dagger at him and tackle him for daring to break into my loft. And then when I realised who this pretty boy was...it was like the jackpot had landed in my lap. Giving him to my mother would have only brought the wrath of the King down on us. I saw him as...leverage.

 **B:** **[cuts in]** She was aiming to have the Palace owe her. I don’t think she ever expected me to turn up two weeks later and ask her out.

 **M:** That's not how I remember it. 

**B: [shrugs]** It’s close enough. 

**M: [cackles] [imitates Ben with a scary accuracy]** “Now it’s my turn to make a fucking point.”

**[Our reporter hopes that the growl Mal imitated was accurate]**

**AN:** I think I speak for all our readers when we say we want to hear Mal’s version!

 **B: [looking at Mal, our reporter thinks it’s a warning look?]** It’s not that different.

 **M: [scoffs, and definitely throws a conspiring look at our reporter]** The way you tell it you make it sound like you turned up with a limo and took me to dinner. **[throws him a look. He blushes. She turns back to our reporter]** Okay, first, he ditched his security detail in the middle of the night. Then he sneaks onto the Isle and breaks into my loft. Then he sneaks up behind me, and, I’m paraphrasing, he says ‘you made your point, now it’s my turn.’

 **AN:h** And then?? **[the double question marks were clear]**

 **B: [cuts in, deadpan]** And _then_ , Mal stopped talking.

 **M:** And then h- **[Ben reaches over and covers her mouth, Mal keeps talking behind the hand. Then winks] [Our reporter considered going for a lie down, if she heard what she thinks she heard]**


	22. Bonus Scene

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this was just something I couldn’t fit into the main story but couldn’t bring myself to delete. 
> 
> It’s rough and barely edited, but I like it so.... yeah.

“You do realise I’m going to need to get married next month?”

Mal’s look of faux annoyance lasted only a moment before the grin slipped through. She tossed the copy of AuradonNow! to Evie, letting her see the cover story speculating on an autumn wedding. 

Evie put down the fabric she was working with - creating the wardrobe for the future queen had kickstarted her creative juices in ways she’d never imagined.

The fabrics, the colours, the cuts...she might never leave her sewing machine again.

“I don’t believe it counts as a proposal when the bride’s best friend is trying to lure out the groom’s enemies.” Evie’s smile was wicked as she flicked through the pages, taking in the theories with a glance.

Autumn wedding in the Enchanted Forest. Shotgun wedding because she was secretly pregnant. Two ceremonies, one in Auradon, one on Olympus. Oh Hades would have a fit…

“Someone might have to tell Mrs Potts that, given what I just witnessed in the kitchen.” Mal laughed, flopping down on the window seat. The view was nothing like what she’d had in Dragon Hall, and she’d never trade it for the world. 

Even if the sight of Mrs Potts doing a dry run of a royal wedding menu scared her senseless. No one needed that many food options. Jay and Carlos would insist on sampling every one and no one needed to see that.

“I believe that’s your job, oh future queen.” Evie teased, perching on the ledge next to Mal.

It had only been six weeks, but the difference in Evie was astounding. She was calmer. Lighter. Happier. 

Mal kind of wished she’d made the move months ago, when things really started getting serious with Ben.

Instead of dwelling, Mal nudged Evie with her foot, laughing easily, “Have I told you recently that you’re a manipulative bitch? We both know the honey pot would have worked without a wedding.”

“Aww, I love you too.” Evie cooed, placing a hand over her heart. After twenty three years, she was fluent in Mal. She knew it was a compliment. 

Evie stopped suddenly, catching sight of movement in the grounds. Sitting up straighter, she nudged Mal and pointed out the window.

Mal looked at what had caught Evie’s attention, and smiled despite herself. Doug and Ben were walking across the courtyard after an afternoon of meetings. They were laughing at something, looking like any other twenty something after a long day at work.

“When do you think they’ll realise they’re dating a pair of psychos?” Evie stage whispered, her eyes never leaving Doug. 

Mal has a theory that something happened between Doug and Evie that first night, at the hospital, but she couldn’t prove it. What she did know was that Doug asked her to dinner the day after the press conference. And that at the Council meeting a week after, Hades was giving Doug the paternal glare he usually reserved for Ben.

“Well,” Mal drawled, lifting a shoulder in a careless shrug, “I think Ben knows after the whole catching fire and turning into a dragon in the middle of a press conference thing. Doug might have some catching up to do.”


	23. Alternate Scene - The Bar Fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Earlier in Dragon’s Fire I mentioned a bar fight that happened while Ben and Mal aren’t talking. This isn’t quite that fight. 
> 
> In that fight Mal and Uma were sword fighting, Uma made a comment about Mal sleeping with Harry and Mal snapped on her. 
> 
> In this one, Uma’s angrier, Mal’s still hurting, and Ben gets tortured by sitting on the sidelines. And I really just wanted to write more Adam and Hades.

“What the fuck, Hook?” Mal growled as she knocked the sword from his hand. She didn’t move to leverage the position, instead she grabbed him by the coat and dragged him off to a hallway, away from the fray. Pointing to the chaos mere feet away in the bar, she hissed, “You want calm as much as I do. What the fuck is this?”

She had been mediating an agreement between the Snakes and the Vipers. For gangs with similar names, they did not get along. That rumbling unease had turned into a full scale war over territory and power - and she did not have time for this shit. 

She should have been made aware earlier, so that she could get the leaders in a room and knock their heads together. But no, she was late to the party and therefore had to let part of this war play out.

She had finally been making progress - and then the Wharf Rats had crashed the meet. 

Days before, Hook had assured her that Uma wanted a return to normality. The turf war was encroaching on her day to day activities now. The fun of poking the fire had been replaced by irritation.

At least, that was the position a few days ago.

“Maybe I just wanted to see ye,” Hook purred, running his hook along her cheek. 

Mal rolled her eyes, she didn’t have time for these games. And she didn’t need Auradon’s Big Brother spell picking this up and playing it back to the Council. To Ben. She hooked two fingers around the metal and pulled it to her side, but didn’t let go. He wouldn’t make a move if he thought she could take it. “Cut the crap, Harry, she can’t see us.”

“Uma’s always watching.” Harry shook his head with a smile, his smoulder having exactly zero effect on her.

Maybe once upon a time, when they were young and stupid, she’d have found him intriguing. But only because he was off limits. He was Uma’s. And back then, Mal didn’t care about details like that.

She did now. 

It was a recent lesson. 

Harry’s smile turned into a full blown grin when she rolled her eyes and threatened to castrate him with a look. Laughing, he shrugged, “Why are we here? Cap’n’s orders.”

He seemed entirely unfazed by the change of plan. As if there was nowhere he’d rather be than in the middle of a sword fight in the Isle’s shadiest tavern.

“You said she was sick of this.” Mal growled, stepping into his personal space. She was a good few inches shorter than him, but her authority bridged the gap. Hook stopped grinning, stopped breathing. Survival instincts kicked in. If Mal had been paying more attention, she would have noticed the way their chests were almost touching. And that she still had two fingers hooked around his hook. To an observer, they almost looked like lovers, _“You’re_ sick of this. You haven’t been on a date in weeks.”

Hook simply raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to catch up.

“Can she not find better ways to cockblock you?” Mal cursed under her breath, still not stepping back. They needed to stay in the shadows, away from prying eyes. The last thing they needed was anyone thinking they were working together. Or worse- 

_“Well I could,_ but this is more fun.” 

When Mal heard Uma’s dry tone, she wanted to close her eyes and take a deep cleansing breath. The kind she saw Ben do when his work phone calls got heated. Maybe question all the life choices that led to this moment. But this was the Isle. That wasn’t an option.

Instead, she rolled her head to the side, tossing Uma a bored look as she shifted her weight, making it look like their hips were touching. Harry shifted his hook ever so slightly, catching it on one of her belt loops. When Uma noticed the location of the steel, her eyes narrowed. 

“Don’t you two look...cozy.”

It was an old game. Harry would rather be caught fraternising with the enemy than sharing intel. Even if that meant making it look like they were sneaking off for a lovers tiff, and Hook was trying to get back in her good graces in the middle of a bar fight. 

And if Mal wanted to keep her source, she had no choice but to go along with it.

She _really_ hoped this didn’t end up in front of the Council. 

“Enough, Uma.” Mal warned, her voice cold, leaving no room for arguments. Aloof. Bored. Expecting her orders to be followed, just because she gave them. The Head Bitch had spoken. “This ends tonight. We both have better things to do.” 

“Oh, you mean like him?” Uma cackled, gesturing towards Hook with her sword. There was an undercurrent of spite in her tone that Mal didn’t trust. Even Harry stiffened at the words. Mal didn’t know what member of Hook’s harem had gotten under Uma’s skin this week, but it was becoming a thorn in her side. 

Mal opened her mouth to shut it down, but Uma was faster. 

“Be my guest, _Princess.”_

Any other time, Mal would have let it roll off her back. She’d have noticed the hurt behind Uma’s anger and used it to her advantage. She’d have been smarter.

This wasn’t any other time. 

She didn’t want Harry Hook. She wanted _Ben._

She was tired and frustrated and heartbroken and so completely _sick_ of this shit.

Uma hadn’t even finished the barb before Mal had tossed her sword to the side and lunged for the pirate’s throat.

...

The monthly Council meeting had been brought forward a few weeks to accommodate Ben’s diplomatic trip to the Far East. This in itself was not unheard of. 

What was unheard of, was working until two in the morning to finalise trade treaties because Queen Leah had crashed the afternoon session. The dowager queen had never had a seat on the Council, but that didn’t stop her turning up every so often to share her views. This week’s subjects were the Isle riots and import taxes on fabrics. King Phillip couldn’t contain his mother in law, and after a few failed attempts he’d given in like the rest of them and let her lecture on.

This was how Adam found himself standing by the refreshment table with Hades a little after two, pouring himself his sixth cup of coffee. 

Unlike the rest of the Council, Hades didn’t seem fazed. He could probably go on all night. And he probably took some joy in torturing them with the fine print of the legislation. The god did seem distracted though, and it wasn’t hard for Adam to guess why. 

“Is yours as miserable as mine?” Adam asked easily, reaching for a scone. Belle would tell him off later, but he needed the sugar fix now.

Hades paused before answering, pointedly glancing over to where Ben was sulking. He wasn’t even pretending to be interested in the debate about whether or not they should accept the proposals from the Spanish Crown. He was staring blanking into the space beside Robin Hood’s shoulder, his mind clearly elsewhere. “She has a better poker face. But unfortunately she got her mother’s tendency to get stabby whenever she feels any kind of emotion she doesn’t understand.”

Adam didn’t say anything for a long moment as he buttered his scone. “This morning’s briefing worries me.” 

“It shouldn’t.” Hades rolled his eyes. He knew exactly which bullet point Adam was referring to. Javier was concerned by the pirates' continued interference and the fact that Mal hadn’t shut down the internal politics yet. Hades couldn’t admit he knew her game plan to the Council, or let them know that her newly resurfaced anger issues were a cover for heartbreak. But he could reassure Adam. “She should be getting it all wrapped up as we speak.”

She’d let the rival gangs blow off some steam and beat their chests. Tonight she was laying down the law and removing their newly acquired backbones.

“Do you think she’ll reach out?” Adam glanced again at Ben, worry clouding his expression. The king in him should be worried about the risk Ben was taking. About the potential backlash. About the optics. But the father in him had never seen his son so miserable. And he didn’t know how to fix it.

“She’ll tell herself she needs a few weeks to restore calm and crush any other uprisings.” Hades shrugged, unfazed, as if he was discussing the weather, “But if your boy gets spotted with his ex this weekend, all bets are off.”

Adam shook his head, knowing that Lonnie’s championship would be a bottleneck. Audrey was seeing Chad Charming. But Leah wanted her to pursue Ben. So no doubt the press would be briefed that they’d be attending together, and Audrey would be expected to place herself in the frame next to Ben. And right now, Ben didn’t have his head in the game enough to avoid it. 

“He’ll cave first.” Adam predicted, reaching for the jam. “He almost outed himself at this morning's briefing.”

When Javier had started recounting a meeting between Mal and Harry Hook - speculating on the _nature_ of their meeting - Ben had turned a lovely shade of purple. And snapped his pen in half. Twice. 

Hades laughed, suddenly intrigued, “Oh this I need to hear abo-“

He didn’t get the chance to finish, he was cut off by a siren cutting through the room. 

The mood in the chamber shifted in an instant. Gone was the sleepy boredom and self righteous interest. Even Ben dropped his disinterest and steeled himself for action.

The Council Chamber doubled as the War Room - not that they needed it often since the creation of the Isle. Metal shutters were built into the windows to lock the room down, network jammers meant there could be no unauthorised calls, a network of mirrors adorned the back wall, ready to show the problem areas.

In Ben’s lifetime, the War Room had only been needed once - during the Eternal Winter. Any other use had been in drills or training exercises. 

Protocol dictated that Adam, or Ben, were the only two able to make decisions in the War Room. There were other rooms in other castles, and the ability to securely lockdown their limos if needed. That the Council was sitting at the time of an actual incident was pure luck. 

Hades and Adam turned towards the mirrors as they flickered to life - Ben only a few steps behind. Hades recognised the Isle immediately - one mirror showed an empty alleyway outside Mo’s Tavern. Another showed the docks. A third showed Mal mediating between two frustrated looking gang bangers. Mal just looked bored.

Adam and Hades shared a look as the highest ranking guard on duty strode into the room. The door closed behind him with a metallic clang. He made a beeline for Adam, his expression grim as he handed over a tablet. “We have a situation on the Isle.”

“What are we looking at?” Adam pressed a few buttons on the tablet, silencing the alarm. He flicked through a few screens, watching as guards stationed outside the Isle and elsewhere in the palace provided live intel. 

Ben turned to the Guard, a mid-level officer called Jackson, and pointed to Mal on the screen. “We’re looking at Mal holding a meeting that seems to be going to plan, and a couple of empty alleyways.”

That was his first mistake. He called her Mal, not Maleficent's daughter. His second was sounding defensive. Adam caught Jackson frowning at Ben before he turned his attention to the mirrors. “The Pirates are deliberately working to destabilise current leadership.”

“You activated the war room because Uma’s mouthing off?” Ben’s tone was incredulous, betraying a familiarity he shouldn’t possess. Adam kept his focus on the tablet, but noticed Hades glancing back to the other Council members. Judging by his smirk, at least some of them had noticed.

“She’s doing a little more than ‘mouthing off’.” Jackson bristled, turning from Ben to Adam. Adam saw the Beast flash in his son’s eyes, and knew this was not going to end quietly. “Uma, daughter of Ursula and enforcer for Captain Hook, is going to make an attempt on Maleficent’s daughter’s life.”

Adam braced himself for a reaction. 

Hades, for his part, seemed oddly calm about the announcement that his daughter's life was at risk. Judging by the grin, he thought the suggestion was hilarious.

Ben, on the other hand, didn’t have so much control. He’d let out a low growl at the words, the Beast firmly settled behind his eyes. 

Jackson’s eyes darted nervously between Hades and Ben, trying to understand what was going on. “Uma deliberately left Harry Hook out of the loop on this. She’s questioning his loyalty. He snuck off to spend a few hours with Mal a few days ago. Hook just thinks they’re off to cause some chaos.”

Adam was thankful Ben wasn’t holding anything, because it probably would have shattered. Or been launched across the room.

Before Ben could make a spectacle, Hades cut Jackson off with a laugh, “They aren’t sleeping together. Everyone on the Isle with half a brain cell knows Hook’s just fucking with Uma. I’m with Beast Jr. We didn’t need the War Room for this. Mal can handle herself.”

“You seem so sure of the outcome, Hades.” King Phillip cut in from his spot at the table, his eyes on the live feed. “I know you spend time on the Isle, but it’s not like you know the girl.”

“I know her work.” Hades replied dangerously, levelling Phillip with a glare. Hades was a mostly silent Council member, but he outranked everyone else in the room. And he had no issue with reminding them of it.

“I agree with Hades.” Adam cut in, stopping the pissing match before it could begin. He looked up from the tablet to the mirrors. He watched Mal slap an open palm on the table and glare at her companions. People said she looked like her mother, but right now the resemblance to her father was uncanny. “We can observe, but I don’t see a need to interfere.”

…

That sentiment lasted exactly fifteen minutes.

“It would be morally wrong to interfere in our childrens’ love lives.” Adam whispered to Hades, his eyes wide as he watched Ben watching the chaos unfold on the mirrors.

“Completely indefensible.” Hades agreed, his focus on Mal fighting on the screen. When Mal threw her sword to the side and launched herself at Uma, his shock had been palpable. In the minutes since, all form had gone out the window - this was petty and brutal and both women were out for blood.

Things had started well enough. They’d watched the Wharf Rats sneak up on the tavern and crash the meeting. Mal’s crew reacted instinctively. Carlos took to the rafters, defending from above. Evie relieved one of the Vipers of his weapon and danced around the bar, drawing her opponents in like a siren. It quickly became apparent that the Wharf Rats were out for blood, specifically Mal’s. Jay took a few blows blocking their access to his leader, giving Mal the opportunity to go after Uma.

When she sought out Hook instead, dragging him off into a dark corridor, Adam could feel the fury radiating from Ben. His son was shaking with anger, and he was sure that the chair Ben had moved to stand behind would splinter under his grip any moment. 

Mal and Hook’s conversation didn’t help Ben’s mood, and when Hook caught one of Mal’s belt loops in his hook, Adam knew the Council had noticed Ben’s reaction. Threats of bodily harm from a Crown Prince were not quickly forgotten.

Now, Mal and Uma were throwing each other around the bar, while the rest of the fighting tailed off to watch in horror. Mal had a reputation for being calculated and methodical.

She did _not_ get into catfights.

Uma threw a punch that connected with Mal’s jaw. Mal retaliated by using the momentum to spin and catch Uma with a roundhouse kick. Then she dove after her, throwing her over a table.

“If we step in now, how will they ever learn to deal with problems on their own.” Adam watched as Uma righted herself and swept Mal’s feet from under her.

“Agreed.” Hades had taken on the tone of a teacher who was watching his pupil make the same mistake again and again. He briefly wondered how often Hades had watched Mal let her emotions get the better of her, before movement on the mirrors demanded his attention. 

Uma took advantage of Mal’s loss of balance, pinning her to the ground. Uma went straight in for the kill, wrapping her hands around Mal’s throat. 

Ben gasped, stepping towards the mirrors with a hand outstretched. As if he could help Mal from Auradon. 

Hades muttered darkly under his breath, rubbing his fingers across his forehead. He still didn’t look worried. More like a father about to be called to the principal's office.

Mal didn’t even fight the grip on her throat. She merely threw Uma a look of complete outrage before a burst of green magic filled the screen. 

There were gasps in the Council Chamber. People jumped to their feet. Prince Naveen yelped. 

Adam heard at least three ‘no’s, four ‘it can’t be’s, and a ‘witchcraft!’ from King Phillip.

When the mirror refocused, Mal was straddling Uma’s chest, with a dagger to her throat. But that wasn’t the first thing anyone noticed. It wasn’t even Mal’s eyes glowing a vivid green. It was her hair. Deep purple flames danced through her hair, falling over her shoulder and hanging a few centimetres from Uma’s face. Shock and terror warred for dominance on the pirate’s face, while the rest of the tavern was deathly silent.

_Give me a reason and I swear I’ll do it._

“What room am I dropping them in?” Hades asked, still rubbing his brow. He didn’t need to see any more. 

“The Amber Room in the East Wing.” Adam supplied, busying himself with the tablet so he didn’t need to make eye contact with the other senior royals. They weren’t blind. They could see Ben’s reaction. They could see the flames in Mal’s hair. Two thirty in the morning was not when he’d imagined having those conversations. For now, he’d watch his staff lose their mind over this development. “Belle wants to remodel anyway.”

“Done. I’ll let her finish up here.” Hades had his eyes on the mirrors again, but he was focused on one of the other screens now. Not Mal over Uma, but the one showing Evie. 

“Why?” He asked, switching his attention in line with Hades’. Unlike the others, Evie didn’t look shocked. Carlos looked like he was about to fall out the rafters, and Jay looked like he’d seen Maleficent rise from the ashes. But Evie looked irritated. Like she’d been caught out. 

_M!_ They watched as Evie hissed at Mal, clicking her fingers to get her friend’s attention.

 _What!_ Mal spat her answer, refusing to look up from Uma.

_**Hair.** _

Mal did look up at that. Evie gestured at her own, non flaming hair, her eyes clearly shouting ‘shut it down’.

Mal paused, and a moment later the flames disappeared. She looked over her shoulder at the leaders of the Vipers and the Snakes. “Anyone else feel like pissing me off tonight?”

Her answer was instant - the colour drained from their faces as they dropped their swords, their muscle quickly following suit. 

Hades took that as his cue and clicked his fingers. 

Mal and Ben were suddenly engulfed in blue flames, disappearing from view.

Adam opened a new tab and added _arrange remodel of the Amber Room_ to Lumiere’s to-do list.


	24. Alternate Scene - The Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we have part two of my little alternate Dragon’s Fire.

One moment Mal was threatening Uma, the next her world disappeared in a flash of blue flame. 

And that _pissed her off._

Jumping to her feet, Mal was ready for a fight when the flames began to recede, “I can’t believe you!”

She threw a ball of energy in the direction she knew her father would be and turned on her heel in a huff. 

Logically, she knew she’d fucked up. She’d let her emotions get the best of her and lost control of her powers. She’d outed herself in front of at least a dozen witnesses. Her mother would know within the hour.

She wasn’t safe on the Isle anymore.

_Her friends_ weren’t safe on the Isle anymore.

They needed a Plan B, one that she didn’t have right now.

But to be plucked from the fight like a _child._ As if this was just another training exercise and she’d missed her cue _again._

She was angry at herself. For losing control, for letting things go so far with Harry, for not seeing the warning signs.

And she was still hurt and heartbroken and taking out her frustrations on Uma hadn’t helped any.

She needed to break something. 

Preferably Ben. 

He did this. 

He got under her skin. 

He made her feel.

She was _fine_ before he came along. 

“Well hello to you too.” A voice remarked dryly from behind her.

Mal froze.

If she hadn’t been so keyed up, she’d have noticed she wasn’t in the Underworld. She was in some kind of sitting room. With bookshelves and antique sofas and a large ornate desk.

And expensive looking drapes that were now on fire.

Mal extinguished the flames with a flick of her wrist, but didn’t soften her glare when she focused on Ben.

Seeing him, being caught off guard, it only fanned her ire.

She was going to _murder_ her father. 

“What the fuck are you doing here?” she growled, ignoring the fact that she was the one out of place. 

“I live here.” Ben replied shortly, crossing his arms as he glared at her from across the room. His tone was not welcoming. Somehow, he was just as pissed as she was. The thought made her hair stand on end. “Don’t you have somewhere to be? Maybe off making up with Harry Hook?”

Mal grinned at the scorn in his voice. 

So he had seen. 

_Good._

Maybe now he’d know what it felt like when she had to sit through speculation about Audrey. 

She laughed lightly, as if this was _the most_ delicious piece of gossip she’d ever heard. It was a truly evil sound. 

She watched as his eyes flashed, and she knew she’d won.

He was going to make her _regret this._

A chill ran down her spine, and she realised, maybe now she’d actually feel something other than emptiness. 

…

“That was work and you know it.” Mal goaded Ben, folding her arms, her own tone dangerous. Daring him to question her.

She hoped he would. They both needed to blow off some steam.

Ben advanced on her slowly, and Mal stood her ground. She wouldn’t back down. 

Not now.

Not after that last fight. 

They’d both said too much. 

They’d tried to hurt each other.

This was round two.

And she was winning this one.

She studied him carefully, waiting for him to make his move. 

This wasn’t the Ben she knew, all sunshine and rainbows and optimism. He seemed bigger. Denser. His eyes glinted yellow. 

Sometimes, Mal would prod Ben until she brought out the Beast. She’d bait him and tease him and then bend him to her will. She liked that she could get him to let go, to lose control. 

Tonight was different. 

Tonight, the Beast wasn’t out to play. 

Good, because neither was she. 

“Didn’t look like that from where I was standing.” His voice was a low growl, and Mal would be lying if she said it didn’t make her stomach flutter in anticipation. She’d spent weeks convincing herself he didn’t care. That she was just a distraction before he settled down with Audrey. The possessiveness in his tone told another story. “Or do you get up close and personal like that with all your sources?”

Mal rolled her eyes, her response a scathing, “Fuck you, Ben.”

Mal wasn’t quite sure how it happened. One minute they were glaring at each other with a table between them. The next, the table was on it’s side and the ornaments were scattered over the floor. A lamp shattered as Mal’s back hit the bookcase. Books fell from the shelves and landed by her feet, but she barely noticed.

Her world had narrowed to just _Ben._

Ben, completely unhinged, caging her in against the shelves. 

The way the wood cut into her shoulder blades.

The heat of space between their bodies, space that he was refusing to fill. 

The way his breathing was just a little too fast, too heavy. The way hers was the same. 

The way his eyes kept drifting to her mouth, but for some godforsaken reason, he refused to close the gap. 

He knew she wanted it. And he wouldn’t give her it. Not yet.

He tilted his head to the side, calculating, then leant forward to brush his lips along her jaw. 

Mal shivered and arched towards him instinctively, giving in far easier than she’d intended. When she brushed up against him, she felt the heat flooding her veins.

“Right back at you, M.” He murmured, pulling away the moment she tilted her head to give him better access.

The self satisfied smirk told her he knew _exactly_ what he was doing. 

She narrowed her eyes. 

She was a villain. Did he forget she just took what she wanted?

The next moment she was on him, threading her fingers into his hair as she roughly pulled his lips to hers.

Ben reacted instantly, closing the distance between their bodies and slamming her back into the shelves again, harder this time.

Never one to back down from a challenge, Mal flipped them so that it was Ben’s back against the shelves. More books littered the floor around their feet. Ben seemed to take this as an invitation, reaching down to grab her thighs and boost her up.

Mal went easily, knowing the angle would give her the upper hand.

Pulling away a fraction, she turned her attention to the spot beside his collarbone that always got a reaction. When she heard his sharp intake of breath and felt his grip on her ass tighten, she hissed, “No so harmless when it’s me with my ex, is it?”

In retaliation, Ben pushed away from the bookcase and headed towards the desk. In one swift move he’d dumped everything on the floor and thrown Mal down. She heard the legs creak with the force of her landing. Smirking, she rested back on her elbows and mused, “Did you not see this week’s edition of _White as Snow?”_

Ben actually growled at that, and knocked a lamp from a side table as he threw his blazer across the room. 

_White as Snow_ was Auradon’s main source of royal gossip. After the formation of Auradon, Snow White had decided to leave the running of her kingdom to Florian and pursue a career in presenting. As a result, _White as Snow_ , the Friday night, prime time talk show was born. EQ was its most loyal viewer. 

This week, Audrey had been a guest to talk about her new make up range. All they’d talked about was Ben. 

Mal _may have_ accidentally blown up the TV and made it look like a power outage. 

“That talk show is bullshit and you know It.” Ben growled, stepping out of his shoes and loosening his tie. The steely glint was back in his eyes, and Mal knew he was about two seconds from losing it completely. “What do I need to do to make you realise you’re mine.”

It wasn’t a question. Mal wasn’t the only one who could give orders and expect them to be followed.

Pity she’d never been good at doing as she was told.

Mal lifted her hands quickly, willing the ends of the tie towards her. The momentum pulled Ben forward, landing heavily on top of her. The table creaked again, but they paid no notice to it.

Ben shifted his weight so he was kneeling over her, resting his weight on his forearm by her head and pressing his knee between her legs. 

Mal studied him for a long moment, her anger fading suddenly. As angry as he was, Ben was still being Ben. He was taking his cues from her. Pushing as hard as he knew she needed. _Giving_ her what she needed.

She needed to be angry and rough and to lose control. She’d been wound so tightly since their fight, she’d finally snapped. 

Maybe he’d been as miserable as she had. 

Maybe he needed to lose control too. 

They’d still need to talk. 

Use _actual_ words. 

But that was the thing about the Beast and the Dragon. They spoke better with actions. 

Ben and Mal could figure it out later.

Hooking her ankle around his thigh, Mal urged him closer. Without breaking eye contact, she whispered, “You’ll just need to convince me.”

...

**Evie:** M. Answer your fucking phone.

**Evie:** I am going to murder you. 

**Evie:** Your dad better have killed you or I’m going to do it myself.

**Mal:** You’re using your cell phone. 

**Mal:** You hate your cell phone.

**Evie:** Oh you are alive. Good. 

**Evie:** What. The. Fuck. Was. That.

**Evie:** And yes I do. I have no use for it when I’m never off the Isle.

**Mal:** So, remember how my dad always said that it wasn’t just untrained magic that was a powder keg, it was untrained emotions too?

**Evie:** Yes. I also have magic remember. You suck at that bit. You have ALWAYS sucked at that bit. Do you not remember setting Pain on fire numerous times as a child.

**Mal:** I assume from your tone Dad has extracted you all?

**Evie:** Why thank you for noticing. It’s only been an hour. Maleficent could have found us and would be torturing us as we speak. 

**Evie:** We’re in the Underworld until King Adam decides what to do with us. Your dad wiped everyone else’s memories.

**Mal:** I’m sorry. I was a liability tonight.

**Evie:** You were. But we all have bad days. You just had twenty three years worth of bad days in one night. And now we need to deal with the fallout. 

**Evie:** Just please tell me you and Prince Bennyboo are talking again.

**Mal:** Prince Ben?

**Evie:** Cut the crap, M. We know. 

**Evie:** I feel like he’s the kind who pretends he’s all good but really he’s got some of that Beast thing just hiding under the surface.

**Mal:** You have no idea.

**Mal:** I think we just destroyed a hundred year old desk. 

**Evie:** I hate you. They don’t make boys like that on the Isle.

**Mal:** I didn’t think they made them like that in Auradon.

**Mal:** The head of his dad’s household walked in on us because he heard a crash. 

**Mal:** I’d say Cogsworth has seen my ass...but Ben was kind of covering me.

**Mal:** I have to face his father in the morning.

**Mal:** I have to face MY father in the morning.

**Evie:** Oh I knew about that. They decided Cogsworth was the sacrificial lamb. 

**Evie:** Your dad is just going to enjoy watching you squirm. 

**Evie:** Make bad choices!

**Mal:** I hate you.

**Evie:** No you don’t.


	25. Bonus Scene - Before You Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little bonus scene from Chapter 12, after they sleep together but before Mal hands Ben over to the Guard.
> 
> Ben’s perspective, because he’s such a loveable sap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. This one’s for my beta who has had a horrific few weeks and this is my latest attempt at distraction - have some fluffy bittersweet Ben/Mal!
> 
> I did have a five part ‘Mal’s Duty as Princess of the Underworld’ fic to share. But I can’t traumatise my beta by getting too close to real life. So...guess what I’m rewriting over Christmas! She’s still not allowed to read it though...

_ That night, Mal didn’t check in on her patrol. Didn’t pretend she had other things to do. When Ben wordlessly made his way from the sofa to the bed for the first time, because he couldn’t face the silence, he wasn’t surprised when she joined him a few minutes later. _

_ When he rolled to face her, he was surprised to see her eyes full of sadness. _

_ Somehow, over the course of the last few days, they’d clicked. This wasn’t Stockholm Syndrome, and he knew she felt it too. _

_ He really was his mother’s son. _

_ He’d wanted to pull Mal closer to him, kiss her deeply and lose himself in her. But he knew if he did that, he’d never be able to leave. _

_ So instead, he’d pulled her in for a hug. They’d ended up with her head on his chest, her hand over his heart, and his arm wound around her waist. Ignoring the words they couldn’t say. _

_ At some point they’d dozed off, and Ben awoke to Mal stirring in his arms as the sun began to rise. One look at her hooded eyes and sleepy smile, the way her hair was mussed up from sleeping on him and he was gone. _

_ He leaned in to capture her lips, rolling her onto her back, and spent the next few hours losing himself in her anyway. _

…

“You need to leave,” Mal whispered, reaching around Ben’s neck to thread her fingers in the hair at the base of his neck.

He just hummed in reply, nipping at her bare shoulder, his hands possessively splayed across the small of her back, keeping her close.

He knew there was truth to her words, but that didn’t mean he had to acknowledge them. Not yet.

“They’ll be looking for you soon,” she reminded him, tilting her head in an attempt to meet his eyes.

“I’m a little busy right now,” Ben mused, shifting so that he was leaning back against the headboard. He lazily drew patterns on her bare skin with his fingertips, noticing the way she leaned into the touch. For all she was trying to kick him out of her bed, he knew she felt it too. Whatever this was, he’d fallen hard and fast.

There had never been fireworks like that when he was with Audrey. The pull he’d been feeling for the last few days was firmly settled in his chest now, drawing him towards her like a siren song. 

Mal just smiled at him sadly, leaning forward -  _ deliberately _ brushing right up against him - and dropped a chaste peck on his lips. “Don’t make this something it can’t be.”

And then she was gone, springing out of his lap easily. He felt a sudden chill, and was positive it was nothing to do with the lack of body heat. Settling back against her bed - Mal, Evie, Jay and Carlos each had beds of a sort in a room off the main loft - he watched as she walked around the room easily. He knew he was about to leave. That he had to. But he might as well appreciate the moment.

Narrowing his eyes as she bent over to retrieve her underwear - she knew  _ exactly _ what she was doing - he was surprised by his T-shirt hitting him in the face. He heard her laughing, and she was mostly dressed by the time he pulled the offending garment on. He didn’t know if it was skill, or if she’d resorted to magic. 

He didn’t care. And that was the bigger problem. 

Reluctantly joining her, he stood and began working on finding his jeans. His boxers had been easy enough to identify at the bottom of the bed. After a long moment, Mal held them up silently with a blank look he couldn’t decipher.

Again, he didn’t know if it was magic or skill.

He made his way over to her, ignoring the jeans in favour of wrapping his hands around her waist, pulling her towards him. She stepped into his embrace easily, even if she pulled a face at him as she did. He’d only known her a few days, but he knew the amused smirk. The eyebrow twitch. The mischievous glint in her eye.

They all told him what she wouldn’t say. 

“Why are you doing this?”

He’d asked himself the same question. He didn’t have an answer. Instead, he countered with, “Why are you letting me?”

Mal paused for a moment, something unidentifiable flitting across her expression before she shut it down.

Stretching up on her tiptoes, she really was  _ a lot _ shorter than him, Mal pressed her lips to his. There was none of the heat from earlier, none of the desperation. 

This was soft and sweet and in another world would be a promise. 

But in theirs, it was goodbye.

When they finally pulled back for air, Ben didn’t let her go too far. He kept his eyes shut, resting his forehead against hers. Committing the way she felt under his hands to memory.

He was the Crown Prince of Auradon. He had a country to serve. A duty to his people. Auradon may be founded on True Love’s Kiss, but the line between good and evil was a firm one. He couldn’t run off to the Isle of the Lost to be with a girl he’d just met, anymore than he could bring her to Auradon and see how this worked out.

It didn’t matter that she was a demigod. That her father outranked his. 

She was a VK. A Lost Girl. 

She was her mother’s daughter.

And he was his parents’ son.

Two sides of the same coin.

Their inverse.

Parallels that should have never crossed paths.

“What happened to don’t make this something it can’t be?” Mal sighed, and Ben knew he wasn’t imagining the hitch in her voice.

…

_ When they met the Auradon Guard at the harbour at 9am, her mask was back in place.  _

_ Mal had pushed him towards Javier without so much as a flinch when he stumbled on the boardwalk. She’d taunted the guards for their slow response. Their incompetence in losing the Crown Prince in the first place.  _

_ And then she’d fixed Ben with a look so sinful and full of promise, he was surprised the Guard didn’t realise  _ **_exactly_ ** _ what had transpired between them, “You owe me, Your Highness.” _

_ And then she’d turned on her heel and stalked off without a backwards glance.  _


End file.
